Belle Amie is good but...

Color: A bit of olive that's not very pretty but quite dull and even a little hazy. If it had some age to it, I might forgive it but it's new.

Louche: Temperamental, demands very cold water and a slow drip to get a thick louche. As in other areas, it is too delicate to be consistent.

Aroma: Excellent...don't over-water, not even a drop.

Flavor: Very good flavor, nice herbal qualities that are sustained well after the drink has been swallowed. If even slightly over-watered, the flavor profile falls apart. Under-watered and there is a distinct medicinal quality.

Finish: Here Belle Amie shines.

Overall: Belle Amie is good but the delicate temperament is a real distraction.



Belle Amie's real problems develop when slightly over-watered and it begins to fall apart in the glass. At that point, it goes from a good glass of absinthe to absolutely undrinkable. This is a real Jekyll and Hyde in a bottle. The real issue is over-watering but not in the usual sense if the drinker should become distracted and water at 5-to-1 but only slightly over-watered at a very common 4-to-1. In my mind, this is not a little thing but a real concern. If the drinker can find that very shallow "sweet spot," it's a good beverage but not close to any of the Jades or Marteau or even Eichelberger Limitee Verte.