Appearace was typical of an EP product. Perfect peridot, crystal clear. Very clean and practically inviting the water to come in.

Louche was a beauty to behold in the beginning. Try just a splash from a carafe and watch the show. Interweaved threads swirl slowly back and forth in the light green absinthe for probably close to a minute. Mezmerizing to watch. By 1/1 becomes fully clouded.

Aroma of the Berthe neat is vanilla, anise and powdery with the very nice wine base showing through. With water this absinthe opens up into beautiful herbal bliss. Definitely an Emile Pernot product.

Flavor Is perfectly blended. That punchy Pontarlier wormwood bites you on one cheek and kisses you on the other. With a sweet floral softness close behind. Nice summery absinthe. Seems to my tastes just a little bit lighter absinthe than the Vieux Pontarlier. Very nice though.

Finish is lightly sweet and mouthwateringly pleasant. Like chewing a stick of Wrigley's DoubleMint Gum.

Overall a very drinkable absinthe with all the elements in right proportion. Can't go wrong with Big Bad Berthe. Holds it's own among others. Diluted at 3/1 served me best.

Straight from the bottle the color is a very natural, deep green color, very leafy, and transparent.

The louche begins with oil trails that are easily visible. It builds out nicely around 1:1 and 2:1. Around 3:1 I noticed it started to thin out and is a little transparent at 4:1 and 4.5:1. It's thinner than I like and that's the only flaw I really have with this absinthe.

Pre-watered aroma is very herbal and clearly an absinthe. It is very reminiscent of the Jades. After water has been added the aroma is more subtle, but notes of wormwood and anise are there. Very nice aroma before and after water.

The flavor is very complex, and suave. Berthe de Joux has a very good wormwood flavor, and the rest of standard absinthe herbs are there was well. I'd call it suave, subtle and reserved. There is some baby powder flavor in this absinthe. It's not over done, but it's noticeable.

There are nice notes of melissa and baby powder on the finish. There are some root like undertones on the finish as well...almost like ginger. Very nice.

This is a very good absinthe, but a little bit reserved. It's very complex and expertly balanced, no flavor really jumps out and dominates more than any others. I think it'd be great everyday, and it's a good standard for defining what absinthe should taste like.

The Berthe de Joux is an absinthe which I can't pretend I didn't receive with some level of expectation, based on its glowing early reviews. Nonetheless, here is my objective review.

The color was acceptable, though not exceptional. I found it to be a composite of green with a strong citrine yellow overtone. All in all, it was fine, but not perfect.

Likewise, the louche was active, but rather short-lived. Again, it certainly didn't set the bar for the category, but neither was it disappointing.

The aroma and flavor are both categories where the BdJ's uniqueness comes into play. The aroma is noteworthy for sure, being far more flowery than anything else which I've experienced. It was nonetheless balanced, but I found the profile to be of narrow appeal, meaning that it would be quite welcome on a warm spring or hot summer day, but certainly not an everyday favorite.

As for the flavor itself, it took me a long while to warm up to it. Fresh out of the new bottle, I found it to be skewed heavily toward an aromatic floweryness, but as the open bottle aged a bit, it mellowed out into a nicely-balanced absinthe in which the fine wormwood was finally able to emerge.

Overall, while the BdJ wasn't able to live up to the gargantuan expectations which early reviews imbued it with, it's still a fine absinthe.

Edit:


Color: A lovely crystal-clear peridot, Natural and gem-like. When louched, an attractive faint green with yellow and copper highlights.

Louche: The thickness of the louche is just right. Strong winding trails and nice layering, with a steady well-paced build. Distinct thunderous rolling clouds of smoke. Wonderful opalescence and color.

Aroma: A delicious aroma; clean and fresh, no strong nose of alcohol. Mainly wormwood with anise behind. The herbal elements and light spice open up nicely during the addition of water.

Flavor: The flavor is delicious; High quality and well-balanced trinity wrapped in a light pepper, spice and citrus with clear floral elements. A strong personality with wonderfully buffered edges. The grape base is simply wonderful. It IS a wormwood forward absinthe; if you prefer a bit more anise, you may want to try Authentique, also from Pernot.

Finish: A superb layered finish that builds, lingers, unfolds, then fades slowly, leaving a slight citrus tingle at the back of the mouth. One of the very best finishes I've experienced.

Overall: This absinthe takes a classic profile and adds in a floral and herbal personality that makes it very enjoyable. It's a great way to sample a quality wormwood.