Absinthe and Absinth

Absinthe and absinth. What is the difference between the two?

Absinthe (Absinthe with the e) is the French spelling of Absinthe and is the most common form.

Absinth (Absinthe without the e) is the Czech spelling of Absinthe and is the spelling found on both our bottles of Absinthe and on some other shopping sites.

Throughout the site, we prefer to refer to Absinthe with the e as it is the spelling recognized most by our customers. From the Moulin Rouge to From Hell, Absinthe has become, in our opinion the universal spelling for the drink.

Are there any appreciable difference between absinthe or absinth products?

Yes and no. As a blend of herbal products, Absinthe has many different formulations. Each absinthe recipe differs from distillery to distillery and the resulting absinthe drinks taste would vary depending on which distillery or absinthe brand you purchased. There is often a marked taste difference between one absinthe brand and another due to differences in the herbs used in production.

As such, Czech Absinth would have a difference in taste from French Absinthe as they are different distillers and producers. However, both absinthe and absinth have a long history of production and a large number of followers respectively.

Which is more original? While Absinthe was first popularized in France, the subsequent ban drove many absinthe distilleries to relocate (to Spain quite often), to change their absinthe formulations (like Pernod) or stop absinthe production altogether.

The Czech Republic on the other hand has never banned or stopped production of absinth.

As such, in many ways, the more "original" absinthe formulations come from countries other than France these days. Spain and the Czech Republic are at the moment the two top producers of absinthe (with or without an e).