Color: Very clear color. Looks almost like water or vodka. Small distillate floating in suspension but not much. Very small and very imperceptible.

Louche: The louche starts well paced. The oil trails act up a bit then it clouds up in a smoke-type way. Reminds me of dry ice a bit. At 1:3 the louche is fairly thick with a tint at the top and overall cloudy louche as opposed to a milky one.

Aroma: Peppery and floral. Anise and fennel detected but not out front. Different but not off in any way.

Flavor: Very sweet without any sugar. Floral and anise sweetness hit first giving way to a peppery bitterness. Not too complex but still stands out among blanches with a unique taste.

Finish: The finish builds slowly and is pleasing. It lasts a good while and is very smooth. It doesn't change much from the flavor but that's not a bad thing at all.

Overall: Smooth and well done. I like this blanche quite a bit. It is not complex and doesn't surprise in any way but is very well done for aiming at a slightly different blanche taste.

Color: The color of my Blanchette came out to be perfectly clear. As clear as the glass, with the very slightest of glittering particles in it. I've been reading about the beauty of a martini is because of how "still" and crystal it is...the color is definitely like that.

Louche: Slowly brewing storms, wispy smoke trails; the creaminess will rise from the bottom to fill the glass, only to have a thicker, more opaque white rise to fill the glass again...I saw this happen two or three times, finally transforming to a glowing, pure white. Really beautiful.

Aroma: My first reaction was "WHOA!" The aroma is very expansive, with peppery, warm anise and a "murkiness", followed by a nice dose of lemon balm.

Flavor: Sweet and warm and a bit of a "tang". I experienced many of the physical qualities I feel from taking a shot of alcohol, but without the bad taste, wincing, or pain. I had to take care not to overwater though; with the addition of more water, the anise was more pronounced but it loses the good qualities from the alcohol and just begins to taste more like alcohol.

Finish: Fresh and numb, continued "tanginess". The feeling sticks around for a while, but sadly, the flavors don't stick around for long.

Overall: Very clean and smooth. I'd call this a good, solid blanche.

Color: Perfectly clear with no sediment. It looked like nothing was in the glass.

Louche: A superior louche. This builds at a pace that is neither too slow nor too fast, just right! Rolling clouds and bits of smoky wisps. Opalescent and just the right thickness.

Aroma: Delicate alpine aroma with quality wormwood and anise are very inviting. Clean, crisp and fresh.

Flavor: It's nice to taste wormwood up front in a blanche! The anise is clear and present as well, in a refined, sweet harmony. A light peppery spice and citrus edge. Delicious.

Finish: Wonderful. Wormwood is clear here as in the flavor and aroma. It pulls at you, building slowly to a light pinch on the tongue with a light spice and citrus that hangs in there nicely, then slowly fades.

Overall: It's refreshing and very tasty. If you normally don't like blanches, you may enjoy this, as it's a bit different than most.

*EDIT: I changed the louche to a 5 from a 4. I'm now on my 2nd bottle, and the louche is better than I first realized. This is one of my 3 top blanches, La Maison Fontaine and Blanche traditionelee being the other 2. Blanchette is in good company.

-Color-
Before water: clear, with a very minor beige tint. I was expecting worse from older pictures. The tint that I experience is very subtle, but it’s present so I can’t give it a 5 like most other blanches get by default.

After water: a good, thick blanche/glowing white with subtle blue and gold-brown highlights.

-Louche-
Very nice thick blue-gray trails with classic instant “invisi-layer” towards the top. Could be a little bit more interesting weather patterns in the clouds, but it layers nicely and is fun to watch.

-Aroma-
Before water, a very interesting wormwood aroma, other herbs, what might be grape alcohol base. After water, an almost Sharpie-marker-like, yet floral scent from the A.a.; fennel, and anise.

-Flavor-
Very floral wormwood, reminiscent of the really tasty Pontarlier stuff in Emile Pernot beverages- yet, it’s more smooth and light here, rather than the more herby-earthy character I get from EP absinthes. Behind the A.a. is the anise and fennel, seemingly in equal measure, with some other minor herbal notes in the distant background.

-Finish-
Nice, smooth finish, but I wish it had a notch or two more of staying power.

-Overall-
Very tasty. However, when I first opened the bottle, I had little experience with A.a. forward absinthes, and the “black magic marker” note was more chemical than herbal tasting to me. I wasn’t a fan. However, as the weeks went by, it really opened up and I was able to appreciate its unique and floral character. This is definitely NOT a La Bleu style blanche. I think that this, along with a few Pernot absinthes, have really helped inform my palate where wormwood is concerned.

Notes: No bottle date. Bottle opened Feb 2008, tasted Feb through Sept 2008. Louched 3:1 with medium fountain drip, no sugar.