Lucid?, Absinthe in the US? Options

[traineraz]

OK, this is what Oxy thinks:

"13. What limits on thujone does the U.S. set?

Absinthe was made illegal in the U.S. in 1912, with the enactment of a pure food and drug regulation to address it. Today, Federal law stipulates that plants which contain thujone may only be used to make liquor if the finished product is free of thujone (Code of Federal Regulations, Title 1 Chapter 1). Because the official method used to assay thujone in such products has a minimum detection limit of 1 mg/kg, a product is for all practical purposes "thujone-free" if it contains less than 1 mg/kg of thujone. Absinthe doesn't contain much thujone, but it does contain more than that, so the production of absinthe in the U.S. is effectively prohibited. Absinthe is one of the few items specifically listed by the U.S. Customs Service as not permissible to bring into the country. To make a long story short, it's illegal to make or sell absinthe in the U.S. and you're not supposed to import it there, which for all intents and purposes excludes absinthe as a legal product."

Once again, Lucid has no thujone.

For some of us, that means Lucid is not absinthe.

For others, like Ted, Head, Sixela, Traineraz et al, Lucid is absinthe.

Since "what is absinthe" constitutes a matter of opinion, I guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one. They will taste Lucid and go into an absinthe-produced ecstatic state, while I (and people who think like I) would not touch the vile stuff with a ten foot pole.

A chacun son gout.

So, Dr. O., you're saying that l'Artisanale is not absinthe, because it contains less than 1 mg/kg of thujone?

Or are you saying that it IS absinthe, but that eric is a liar?

Please elucidate.

[speedle]

Oh, HE removed it? Well...then never mind. All that conspiracy talk is finally getting to me.

[G&C]

The only post editing that happens at this forum is by the one that wrote it.



The ONLY exception I've seen has been when private info was posted publicly without permission.

[Oxygenee]

OK, this is what Oxy thinks:

"13. What limits on thujone does the U.S. set?

Absinthe was made illegal in the U.S. in 1912, with the enactment of a pure food and drug regulation to address it. Today, Federal law stipulates that plants which contain thujone may only be used to make liquor if the finished product is free of thujone (Code of Federal Regulations, Title 1 Chapter 1). Because the official method used to assay thujone in such products has a minimum detection limit of 1 mg/kg, a product is for all practical purposes "thujone-free" if it contains less than 1 mg/kg of thujone. Absinthe doesn't contain much thujone, but it does contain more than that, so the production of absinthe in the U.S. is effectively prohibited. Absinthe is one of the few items specifically listed by the U.S. Customs Service as not permissible to bring into the country. To make a long story short, it's illegal to make or sell absinthe in the U.S. and you're not supposed to import it there, which for all intents and purposes excludes absinthe as a legal product."

This section of the FAQ is incorrect in the light of recent developments in the US, and will be amended.

1. Absinthes with less than (approximately) 10mg/l thujone are now potentially legal in the US.
2. Two others (apart from Lucid) have already been approved, and dozens will follow in due course.
3. There's no reason at all to assume that Lucid has signifcantly less than 10mg/l, and neither Ted nor the manufacturers have made any claims to this effect.
4. Effectively, the US regulations are being brought in line with the EU standards. This has been done by administrative fiat (based - to simplify - on an expanded definition of "margin of error" when it comes to thujone testing), not legislation, but the effect will be the same.
5. I'd expect something similar to happen with the 35mg/l "bitters" category at some stage in the future.

Veridian have spent a very large amount of money opening a gate through which anyone can now enter. Whether this was a shrewd business strategy, only time will tell.

[Marc]

Wow! just Wow!

[Steve]

Veridian have spent a very large amount of money opening a gate through which anyone can now enter.

We should all buy a bottle of Lucid if for no other reason than gratitude for opening that gate, which I never imagined would be opened!

[Donnie Darko]

They will taste Lucid and go into an absinthe-produced ecstatic state,

I doubt it. From Donnie Darko's account, I doubt I'd personally like it over the other brands we can get in Europe. Why drink Lucid if you can drink PF1901?

Lucid's targeting a different audience.

You make a good point. It also wouldn't make any sense at all for Combier to compete with themselves.

Quite honestly I think the novice absinthe drinker might prefer Lucid over some higher end (and probably more expensive) products that might make it over here eventually. For example, there are plenty of Scotch drinkers that usually reach for Johnny Walker Black, though it may not be as sophisticated as single malts, but it's still better than Dewars and all that other syrupy blended hooch. You see Johnnie Walker black on every bar shelf, but you won't find Laphroaig too often, even though it's obviously superiour. The good thing is that the bar is going to be set by a properly made distilled absinthe, not something from the Czech republic or some demographically tested oil mixed artificially coloured incendiary device.

[Jaded Prole]

It so rare to hear good news these days, this is worth celebrating!

[G&C]

I believe I'll start right now.

[louched liver]

Why ever really stop?

[Donnie Darko]

HOLY SHIT, IT'S THE LIVER!

[louched liver]

I followed the bread crumbs back...

[G&C]

Um, those weren't bread crumbs...

[louched liver]

Yer right, it was just a
buncha crumbs.

[G&C]

Why ever really stop?

I saw what happened at LCLF 04.