La Clandestine
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4.0 |
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4.3 (9) |
Editor review
A wonderful blanche
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
December 2009 update: The vinegary note I originally found in my bottle is no longer there. Aging must have helped it. Scores changed to reflect that.
Original aroma: 3 - New aroma: 4
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CLB was my first foray into blanches, and it was a great place to start.
The look was very bright and clear. It was very quick to louche, but it didn't leave a lot of nice oil trails, which is why I only gave it a 4. It did come out very nice in the end with a blue hued creaminess.
The initial smell had hints of something I couldn't put my finger on. Almost vinegary, but with water, that dissipated and ended with a wonderful woodsy scent with gentle hints of anis and fennel. I had to give a low score here mainly for the peculiar initial notes.
It had a very nice, milky mouth feel with lots of anise and wormwood and a clean finish. Very light.
Overall, a very enjoyable blanche.
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| Overall rating: |
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4.0 |
| Color: |
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4.0 |
| Louche: |
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4.0 |
| Aroma: |
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4.0 |
| Flavor: |
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4.0 |
| Finish: |
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4.0 |
| Overall: |
|
4.0 |
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User reviews
Average user rating from: 9 user(s)
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| Overall rating: |
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4.3 |
| Color: |
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4.7 |
| Louche: |
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4.0 |
| Aroma: |
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4.0 |
| Flavor: |
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4.3 |
| Finish: |
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4.2 |
| Overall: |
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4.4 |
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Suisse La Clandestine
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Color is crystal clear, no discoloration or sediment. The Louche builds from the bottom and clouds to a very thick billow with blue tints. The color after water is white opaque, with blue highlights. The aroma before water is very floral, and herbal, with sweet tones. After water it really blossoms with the alpine floral that many of the better La Bleue absinthe’s portray. Tones of hyssop are present, with wormwood and anise developing. The mouth feel is thick, creamy and smooth. The taste is overall very rich, with strong sweet anise and wormwood notes in the finish.
This is definitely one to try if you like the La Bleue style absinthe. La Clandestine is one of the better commercial La Bleue’s.
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| Overall rating: |
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4.2 |
| Color: |
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5.0 |
| Louche: |
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4.0 |
| Aroma: |
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4.0 |
| Flavor: |
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4.0 |
| Finish: |
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4.0 |
| Overall: |
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4.0 |
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Le Diable Bleu Blue Night with Clandestine!
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6 of 9 people found the following review helpful
As I'm writing this first review, I'm a bit excited. This night is a night of victory in revenge, there's music and chattering around me that makes me shake (at least, more thant normally) This is my first review, from my bi-mensual Clandestine and since I didn't tried other real absinthes (Pernod and Hill's doesn't count and I doesn't have the courage to retake them just for your reviews!) my comparison is very limited. I base myself a lot on your comments. But maybe I could rereview it when I'm more experienced. I also may be a bit rough since it's my new standard and my review is based on my current experience, as I'm sipping it. Anyway...
Color : All clear, no sediments... I suppose it's a 5, which is unfair for verte since there's more variety in them.. A white is always clear, and gets a 4-5, or is not, and get a 1! Maybe when louched you can see some details that I miss, but it's a nice white and the lights gives it some orange hue but it's the lights, so... A nice cloudy white!
Louche : Man, I did miss that part in a dumb way, by pouring to quickly my water in it. Maybe it was those damn hands, the excitation, or just the water jar they gave me... Anyway, it was a bit to quick so I'll give it a 3. But when fully louched, it is a nice, pale, milky white, with some transperency on the top. Very nice, with the lights...
Aroma : A lot of anise, makes me think of a pastis. When unlouched, it was a bit "spiky" (don't know if it's green or star anis but if it's the later it must be those star point getting at your nose!), but when you start louching it, the aroma develop slowly in a more floral scent. Cannot smell the details... A bit of alcohol, and something I have some difficulty to describe. Defnitiely flowery, I'll say!
Flavor : Taste like it smells but with a little amertume and a little crisp. Might be the wormwood. The fennel for the amertume? It's also creamy, in a way.
Finish : A little numbness, somewhat huggish, like the caress of a cruel women. A bit unpleasant, but saliva come in your mouth and you want to repeat. It lasts longly, hitting in the middle with some crispiness, then lowering itself on a more floral-I-don't-know-what note, with the amertume (fennel?) of the flavor.
Overall : I give it a 5 instead of a 4 because I assume to be to hard on her, ma belle bleue à moi, and because from what I saw, it's one of the best commercial brand of bleue.
P.S. : Was prepared with something like a 3.5 water, 2 little piece of sugar (equivalent of a cube) for 1 dose (30ml) of Clandestine. At a bar. In Mtl, Quebec... I will try it without sugar next time, it would surely farthers it away from pastis, since it's quite anisée. I like anis a lot, but I suppose to taste the subtilities it would be better to make it without sugar. Now the music is better, less loud, and my absinthe is nearly finished, I'm sad but happy at the same time, I don't want to finish it. Have to go but want another. To poor... The music is becoming louder, I should go away and leave with the souvenir of my bleue and of this night. Now.
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| Overall rating: |
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4.0 |
| Color: |
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5.0 |
| Louche: |
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3.0 |
| Aroma: |
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3.0 |
| Flavor: |
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4.0 |
| Finish: |
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4.0 |
| Overall: |
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5.0 |
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Crystal Clean
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
-Color-
Before Water: Crystal clear. Pretty refractions.
After Water: Good opalescence, catches the light well, has good glow with mostly grey, slight copper-bronze highlights, and hints of blue.
-Louche-
Nice trails and jellies. Quick compared to vertes of course, but a good pace for a blanche. Nice rolling fog bank and tendrils reach into the clear portion on top. Good show.
-Aroma-
Before Water: A lush, inviting concentrated herbal aroma of the main trinity. I don’t usually find the neat aroma for absinthe to be this pleasant.
After Water: It actually loses a little of the lushness, but the notes are retained and become more delicate and floral.
-Flavor-
While many vertes may be bolder, the herbs in Clandestine give it a very nice richness and depth. The anise leads of course; the wormwood is delicate, but definitely registers in the soft floral ranges, floating above the light sweetness of the fennel. Subtle supporting herbal notes that might be hyssop, chamomile, and even coriander round out the overall flavor. The quality of the ingredients is apparent, and there’s a really nice crispy clean feel to the whole thing.
-Finish-
The nice creamy body smoothly transforms into a dryer wormwood finish with just a hint of alcohol heat. Almost palate cleansing.
-Overall-
Excellent la bleue, easily one of the best that’s commercially available. I wish a little more of the lush herb power from the neat aroma stuck around after water, but that certainly doesn’t take away from the full crystal clean flavor. The immaculate character is what pushes the Flavor and Overall areas to a 5 for me.
Notes: Louched 3:1, fountain drip, no sugar. Both EU and US bottles tasted separately.
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| Overall rating: |
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4.6 |
| Color: |
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5.0 |
| Louche: |
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4.0 |
| Aroma: |
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4.0 |
| Flavor: |
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5.0 |
| Finish: |
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4.0 |
| Overall: |
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5.0 |
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More blanche, please!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
This is my blind tasting review from September, 2008. No sugar, carafe pour, tasted the same night as the blind sample of Siréne. Before that evening I had tasted Lucid, Kubler and Leopold Verte, #s 8 & 10.
Color: Clear. Shimmery crystal.
Louche: Started fast and finished fast, like Kübler.
Aroma: Fresh, a sweetness to it that I like.
Flavor: My notes from last night say the following: Having these two back-to-back shows me how much more I have to learn w/r/t describing flavor! More fresh overall than sample #1. A very nice balance to my palate. I can see why La Bleues are described as having that alpine meadow character, which I find myself preferring at the moment.
Finish: Some numbing, very little creaminess (due to a possible over-watering.) [Edit: The second glass from the sample was quite tasty, so it ended up being overwatering.]
Overall: I look forward to having this one with sugar to compare experiences and see if/how the flavors become rounded. If this were a head-to-head tasting, I'd take this one over the verte. (And then be fascinated when a year from now I do just the opposite!)
Like with my Lucid review, I scored all the categories from my impressions at the time, and scored the overall with hindsight. I really enjoyed this drink then, and still do, though then my overall may have been a 5.
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| Overall rating: |
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4.1 |
| Color: |
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5.0 |
| Louche: |
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3.0 |
| Aroma: |
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4.0 |
| Flavor: |
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5.0 |
| Finish: |
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3.0 |
| Overall: |
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4.0 |
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Hurrah for Moonshiners!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
I believe La Clandestine is the best blanche I've tried to date, just edging out the also excellent La P'tite. It begins perfectly clear and louches to a uniform (if slightly thin) milk white. The aroma is pleasant though very delicate.
In the tasting, La Clandestine really comes into its own. The flavor is surprisingly rich and spicy, with a controlled herbal bitterness and no hint of unwanted grassiness. The finish is truly delightful: long, lingering, spicy and unique. Full marks!
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| Overall rating: |
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4.7 |
| Color: |
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5.0 |
| Louche: |
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4.0 |
| Aroma: |
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4.0 |
| Flavor: |
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5.0 |
| Finish: |
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5.0 |
| Overall: |
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5.0 |
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Cream of the Blanche Crop?
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Bottle purchased October 2008, review sample louched December 2008.
The presentation of CLB is absolutely top-notch. The blue bottle is distinctive, the label is beautiful, and from the first impression you begin to think this will be a wonderful glass to share with friends.
Neat, CLB presents pine forest with a bit of alcohol heat. Upon introducing the water drip (I sugared mine), I began to smell caramel and juniper. This aroma remained until about 2.5-3:1, after which the caramel dropped into the background and the forest aroma reasserted itself. I finished at a 4.5:1 ratio, which produced a room-filling aroma.
The first sip is full in the mouth, almost creamy, with tastes of juniper and a tangy something that borders on shoyu soy sauce - a marvelous, full flavor that makes your tongue ask, "Hey! What the hell is that!" Subsequent sips taste different each time, as the slight numbing effect begins to build. This is a pleasant experience that intrigues as much as it intoxicates.
The finish is long - tangy, ever-so-slightly bitter, and, again, numbing. CLB doesn't just disappear. It stays for a while.
I must say, with only Kubler and some Spanish absentas to compare, the Clandestine is heads-and-shoulders above the blanches I've tried. Well worth the investment, this bottle will make a worthy compliment to any Absintheur's collection.
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| Overall rating: |
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4.2 |
| Color: |
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4.0 |
| Louche: |
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5.0 |
| Aroma: |
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4.0 |
| Flavor: |
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4.0 |
| Finish: |
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4.0 |
| Overall: |
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4.0 |
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Life After Kubler
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Color
Unlouched, it is perfectly clear, really sparkling clarity like crystal vs. glass. Louched, very milky white, and I mean white white. Early in the dilution, some bluish highlights, final color has just the slightest bluish-gray highlights.
Louche
Really nice swirling thick trails initially, clouds at the bottom with unlouched layer at the top. This all changes real fast, though. Cloudiness comes on pretty quickly starting around .5/1 and drink is pretty much opaque by 1/1. And then it’s just drip, drip, drip. Consistency looks very correct, and in color, it has a nice vibrancy.
Aroma
Nice! Not the anise bomb that the “K” brand presents. Initial nose is more fennel forward with good support from the wormwood. Anise is there, of course, in nice balance. No alcohol heat on the nose, either neat or louched. Very clean, fresh, and natural… the more herbal and floral notes appear on the nose after going to palate.
Flavor
Again, very nice! Terrific balance of the trinity. Great fresh herbal impression. Everything about the ingredients here just seems less “dried” than the “K” brand. Creamy attack, nice balance mid-palate, and a subtle burst of spice on the back palate. Yummy!
Finish
Follows aromas and palate very accurately. This is really enjoyable, great balance, nice and satisfying wormwood “pull” on the palate. Ever so slight tongue numbing. Clean.
Overall
This one ratchets up the blanche category for me. Substantial quality, really nice balance, reasonable complexity. I hate to keep referring to the “K” brand, but it was my first blanche, and while I still think it has plenty of charms, this offering clearly has a higher level of raw material and refinement. A fine blanche.
7/06/09 Revisit – This evaluation is right in line with the evaluations done in November 2008. None of the original text is altered. A couple of observations… Even though I would still rate the louche a 3 because it is so fast, I must say that with a slow drip, it is really entertaining while it lasts. Also, my initial evaluations were both done at a dilution of 3/1, and as I gain more experience with absinthe, I’m finding higher water levels to be desirable. Just the addition of an extra .5 part of water has a real controlling effect on the “pull” and “tongue numbing” I mention in my comments on finish. So don’t be afraid to play around with dilution. You may just find it enlightening.
Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 3/1, 3.5/1, and no sugar.
La Clandestine 11/15/08, 11/23/08, 7/06/09.
All evaluations had consistent notes.
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| Overall rating: |
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3.8 |
| Color: |
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4.0 |
| Louche: |
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3.0 |
| Aroma: |
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4.0 |
| Flavor: |
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4.0 |
| Finish: |
|
4.0 |
| Overall: |
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4.0 |
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Possibly My Favorite
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3 of 6 people found the following review helpful
If you like the Kubler product in the US, I believe you'll enjoy this one as much or even more. It has an aroma and taste that are ever so slightly better, in ways that I cannot describe.
The color is perfectly clear and the louche is patient, translucent, and a very fine combination of rumbling thunder clouds with small oily trails dancing on top. The aroma is complex and fills the room. It is definitely overpowering and non-fans might find it too much. I felt that in spite of its goodness, it wasn't perfect and taste seemed the most appropriate place to take the points away. The taste is very mellow and non-offensive. It is also complex, without any one flavor dominating. All these add up to a slight disappointment because there is almost nothing to talk about.
The finish cleans up well and leaves the mouth feeling like it did before the first sip. But the flavor from the aroma lingers, calling out for the next sip.
This is probably my favorite of all blanches and vertes combined and one I will definitely keep stocked.
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| Overall rating: |
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4.8 |
| Color: |
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5.0 |
| Louche: |
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5.0 |
| Aroma: |
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5.0 |
| Flavor: |
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4.0 |
| Finish: |
|
5.0 |
| Overall: |
|
5.0 |
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A personal favorite, and a wonderful introduction
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
While this is one of my first Absinthes, and was my re-introduction to Absinthe after a sizeable hiatus, I found this to be a very straight-forward flavour. Definately exactly what one would expect from a fennel-anice liqour. I didn't get a distinct wormwood flavour from this however, and found that it took a much higher water:absinthe ratio to cut the strong alcohol kick this absinthe had. The louche was very good, in my opinon. Almost completely opaque, comperable to skim or even 2% milk. It does have a very strong nose, unlike other absinthes that I have tried. In fact, the potency of the nose on this was somewhat off-putting for me, it overpowered me and made it a much less enjoyable experiance. My partner however did greatly enjoy this, and feels that this is his favorite absinthe to date.
I originally wrote the above almost two years ago. Since then I have come to regard this as my favorite absinthe, and an excellent starting point for those interested in the drink. It is simple but it's simplicity is beautiful. It lacks the strong biting flavors of some more complex absinthes, but I don't hold that against it. It's cliche but less is more at times, and this is one of them. I have found that as this absinthe ages the nose becomes much less pungent, which is noteworthy for those sensitive to smells.
I keep coming back to this absinthe, and believe I will continue to do so.
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| Overall rating: |
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4.3 |
| Color: |
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4.0 |
| Louche: |
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5.0 |
| Aroma: |
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4.0 |
| Flavor: |
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4.0 |
| Finish: |
|
5.0 |
| Overall: |
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4.0 |
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