The Distillerie du Père François was established in 2005, at the very moment absinthe regained its legal status in Switzerland. For François Bezençon, collector, historian, and devoted guardian of absinthe’s memory, this was not merely an administrative milestone, but the continuation of a long-held passion.
On March 1, 2005, alongside his sons Claude and Patrick, he conducted the first authorized distillation in Switzerland since 1910, and the only one carried out that day. The gesture was both technical and symbolic, marking the official return of absinthe to Val-de-Travers after nearly a century of silence.
After months of careful trials, the house released its first absinthe through the family beverage depot, itself active for more than three decades. Soon thereafter, the Absintherie du Père François opened its doors in Môtiers, within the historic walls of the former Sandoz distillery: a setting where revival and tradition quietly converge.
