Early 1998 George Rowley, now brand owner of La Fée, the world’s most recognizable absinthe brand, discovered absinthe whilst living in the Czech Republic. At the time, absinthe was a near forgotten relic and was only available in a few Bohemian bars. After soon discovering the United Kingdom never imposed a ban on absinthe, working alongside Trading Standards, George Rowley was able to secure, off the back of a document with the permission to import. Creating this watershed document has set the legal precedent for all future absinthe in Europe and the international market which now includes America. George Rowley held his UK launch at the Groucho Club, in Soho, London in November 1998, the product being a modern Czech absinth (absinthe spelt without the ‘e’), and introducing to the market the now popular modern ‘sugar and burn’ ritual. In 1999 the campaign to source a genuine pre-ban absinthe and restart distilling in France began, and on 26th May 1999 George Rowley wrote to Marie-Claude Delahaye, world-renowned expert and historian on the category explaining the project. Whilst unpicking the terms of the 1915 French ban, it was discovered that the French had prohibited the selling of absinthe in France, but not the distillation of it. This would signal the rebirth of traditional French absinthe, distilled with Grand Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). All this pioneering work was carried out by George and Marie-Claude at our Paris distillery, leading up to the introduction of the first traditionally distilled absinthe in France, La Fée Absinthe Parisienne to the market, which is distilled by a Paris based. To this day each distillation of La Fée Absinthe Parisienne is tested by Madame Delahaye, each batch having a sample being delivered to her by courier for her approval prior to bottling.