La Fée

The La Fée brand, founded in 2000, was the first absinthe legally distilled in France after a ban lasting almost a century (since 1915). It was founded by British entrepreneur George Rowley in collaboration with renowned absinthe historian Marie-Claude Delahaye, founder of the Musée de l'Absinthe. La Fée means ‘fairy’, a symbol of both the mysticism and tradition of this legendary spirit.

George Rowley, inspired by the absinthe culture of the 1990s, took advantage of the provisions of EU Directive 88/388/EEC to legalise the import of absinthe into the United Kingdom in 1998. Two years later, in 2000, they introduced La Fée Parisienne – the first traditionally distilled absinthe since the ban, distilled at the Cherry Rocher distillery in the Rhône-Alpes region. The brand was officially recognised in 2011 as an absinthe with appellation, cementing its prestige.

La Fée has since expanded and offers several variants: Parisienne, Blanche, Bohemian, XS Suisse, XS Française and NV Absinthe. Each bottle is personally tested and approved by Rowley and Delahaye — focusing on colour, louche effect (cloudiness) and aroma complexity — to maintain high quality and fidelity to the historical recipe.