Absinthe Blanche
Absinthe blanche—also called la bleue in the Val-de-Travers region of Switzerland—emerged as the clandestine style produced during the Swiss absinthe ban from 1910 to 2005, when distillers in Couvet, Môtiers, and surrounding villages continued making clear, uncolored spirit to avoid detection by inspectors who associated the telltale green color with the banned product. The Val-de-Travers had been absinthe's birthplace in the 1790s, and local families maintained the tradition in secret for nearly a century. When Switzerland lifted the ban in 2005, producers like Kübler and La Clandestine were positioned to lead a global absinthe renaissance with authentic historical recipes.
Flavor Profile
Blanche absinthes are clean and crystalline, with bright, fresh anise upfront that yields to delicate wormwood bitterness and cool fennel. Without the coloring maceration step, they lack the chlorophyll-driven vegetal complexity of vertes but gain a purity and precision that highlights the distillate's floral and citrus undertones. The finish is typically crisp and herbaceous, with a characteristic louche—the milky cloud formed when water is added—that is often finer and more elegant than in greener expressions.