Edited after 2 bottles with over a year of sampling. 4:1 is where I like it best.
I don't sugar blanches, and this certainly would be too sweet with sugar.


Color: Perfectly clear and sediment free

Louche: Slow forming clouds roll and build with a nice layer above. Almost opaque, but still had some light playing through it.

Aroma: A classic Swiss blanch character in the aroma, Anise and fennel and some light hint at flowers and herbs. During louche, it opened up a bit, but still not quite room-filling.

Flavor: If you like anise up front, you'll enjoy this. Sweet and delicious. The wormwood is there however, and just right for this profile. Nice baking spices in the mix as well.

Finish: A nice slow pull and steady build that adds more elements than the flavor, but just at the right time as to mingle with the flavor nicely. Pepper and citrus build and linger before fading slowly.

Color: Perfectly clear distilled blanche. Color is perfectly white when fully louched.

Louche: Nice complex oil trails followed by complex swirling cloud activity. Very good overall. Louche is not slow, but not so fast when compared to Kübler. Pleasing louche show for a blanche.

Aroma: Nice fresh anise and fennel, hints of vanilla. Other fresh herbs are present, the aroma is fresh and crisp. Bottle has strong odor of alcohol. Normal? It would seem so.

Flavor: A tad sweet. Does not need sugar. Complex fresh herbal background makes it quite special. Vanilla- or vanilla-like overtones would make it an excellent refreshment for summer days. Fine grape-based spirit seems a perfect complement for the fresh herbs. Simply excellent.

Finish: Absinthe Duplais Blanche is very special. The freshest herbs and vanilla- or vanilla-like overtones are combined with a nice grape spirit-base that causes no bad aftertaste. The finish matches the beginning and "middle:" simply refreshing, simply delicious, a very fine elixir indeed.

Overall: Can Absinthe Duplais Blanche be more excellent? I haven't experienced a better blanche, not even close. Thank you Duplais. If others know of a better blanche, then please tell us. At this time, I don't think it can get better than this. This gets my highest rating, except the louche is not quite as good as some "verte" styles that I've tried. No big deal there. Otherwise, it's five stars all the way.

Update April 16, 2010: I'm not changing my score, but I give this high marks mostly as a "dessert absinthe." It would go great with fine pastries. It is quite sweet and the taste of vanilla is undeniable. I might not give La Clandestine as high scores, but it would more likely be my go-to blanche for regular consumption. I'd prefer to save the Duplais Blanche for special occasions, when a "dessert absinthe" is desired; or when "sweets for the sweet" is in order.

Absinthe Duplais Blanche is a very enjoyable offering. From the bottle, it pours perfectly clear and attractive, and with the addition of water it slowly becomes a ghostly jade. The louche builds very deliberately, with "oil trails" like wisps of white smoke that at first vanish and then later thicken into a pearly fog. The final louche is silvery-white, nicely translucent, and remarkably attractive.

The aroma before water is mild and herbal; after water, it is much the same. It is so faint as to almost merit a '3,' but I could not call it "peculiar" or "unbalanced," so I awarded it a '4' though only just. The flavor is better, with intriguing notes of herbal bitterness. This is an absinthe I like to take my time with, so as to enjoy every subtle nuance.

The finish brings it all home, with an arresting spiciness building on the herbal foundation. The finish lingers pleasantly, with just a hint of numbing at the sides of one's tongue.

Overall, Absinthe Duplias Blanche is a winner. Though it lacks some of the complexity of the Duplais Verte, I nevertheless recommend it very highly.