Presentation (no points): This review is based upon a brand new bottle of Grande Absente. Bottle is clear, which would be concerning for a naturally colored absinthe as it would let unfettered light in and break down the chlorophyll rapidly. Unfortunately, Grande Absente is not naturally colored, so this was not a concern for them.



Color (1 point): The label proudly proclaims, "To recall this glorious time [Belle Époque era], Grande Absente, Absinthe Originale is one of the oldest traditional Absinthe recipes from the south of France." And then at the bottom of the label it clearly reads, "Contains FD&C Yellow #5 and Blue #1." This upset me, because clearly that is not part of any traditional absinthe recipe and made me feel as if the producer was attempting to mislead me already. For this reason, Grande Absente gets a 1. I was tempted to give a 2 since it is devoid of sediment and is bright and clear, but the artificial color and misleading statements from the producer made me angrily choose a 1.



Louche (4 points): Grande Absente louches reasonably well, it took about 100 medium-speed droplets to get it going, but it then filled the glass in a pleasant opalescent color that is far more appealing than the artificial green in the bottle.



Aroma (2 points): I was a bit disappointed in the aroma, really only could smell alcohol and a bit of anise. No wormwood, and even upon louching the aroma did not bloom very well.



Flavor (2 points): I was torn between a 2 and a 3 on flavor, I can't say it's appropriate for an absinthe as it's really a straight-forward candy licorice flavor. It's not as sickly sweet as La Fee Parisian, and if I had to choose between the two I would most definitely pick Grande Absente, but if any more traditional absinthe was available I would have it over either in a heartbeat.



Finish (3 points): The finish is not bad, slightest numbing of the tongue, mouthfeel is a touch watery, flavor profile is still very simple and uninspiring.



Overall (2 points): Despite being put off by the artificial color, I really tried to give Grande Absente a fair shake. But between the simplistic flavor, lack of aroma, an unnecessary use of artificial coloring, I can't give it any more than a 2 overall. Additionally, I would challenge the classification of this as a verte unless it can be verified that there is indeed a secondary maceration process for flavoring/coloring. If there is, I sure as heck can't taste it. This tastes more like a simplistic blanche to me. I'd rather have a glass of Kübler. In fact I think I will.

Color: From what I understand, the color is artificial, but it's also clear, and natural-looking could be debatable. Grande Absente isn't a bright unnatural-looking green that I've seen on higher rated absinthes, like Mansinthe or Duplais. I would put it closer to Eich, which received a '4.'

Louche: The louche was definitely present and had green and faint blue highlights. I don't know if it was the slow drip, sugar cube, or what-have-you, but the louche was interesting. It started out as a thin layer at the bottom, blossomed into a mushroom cloud effect, and then spread somewhat evenly throughout the rest of the glass. The only reason I didn't keep it at 4 is because the deeper green I usually see in the middle of my louches didn't stay, like in my Eich and Amer, making the consistency the same throughout the whole glass.

Flavor: On a regular "1 to 5" scale, I would give this a 3. However, sticking to the Score Sheet, it's unremarkable and I can taste the alcohol, which isn't any more offensive than a margarita with too much tequila.

Finish: Every average alcoholic beverage I've had has some air of alcohol to it, an acceptable taste making it no different than a Jim Beam and Jose Cuervo. I think if a person is willing to drink Jim Beam or Jose Cuervo then they might be willing to make an exception for Grande Absente as well.

Overall: Grande Absente, to me, represents a baseline for an average consumer. Unfortunately it isn't priced like an average absinthe. I put this in the cheap wine category - good enough for a last minute purchase.

Edit 12-26-2008:
I rescind my baseline comment. If this absinthe was priced like Budweiser (~20% lower than the competition) then I think my opinion would stand. However, with cheaper and better absinthes hitting the U.S. market, I'd recommend ignoring this.

Color- Even if this had been freshly colored, which the aroma will definitely tell you it's not, I would not have rated it a 5; too light and thin.



Louche- The best part, relatively speaking, of this absinthe; builds slowly from the bottom but quickly washes out and becomes weak.



Aroma- Before the addition of water... alcohol (like vodka); after the addition of water... cloying sweetness.



Flavor- Overly sweet, some light bitterness, but mainly just sickly sweet.



Finish- Better mouth-feel than I would expect but not great, some tongue numbing, the lasting taste is not good.



Overall- I would never pay money for this absinthe; in fact I would recommend that no one does.

the Color is lookin' pretty fake to me.

the Louche is there, but not especially intriguing. No opalescence here.

the Aroma is a bit Alcoholic, not a lot going on. After water it opens up a little bit. Faintly herbal, medicinal undertone. Weak.

the Flavor is a bit too sweet for me right off the bat. The more water is added, the more candylike it becomes. All the depth and complexity of a licorice jellybean..

the Finish is like having said jellybean in the back of my nose whilst all else but alcohol fades quickly.

Overall, I'd say it's not as bad as I've heard. On the other hand I wouldn't say this was good.

*Color Before Water*

From reading posts in the forum, I knew before hand that the color was artificial. However seeing a bottle up close and personal, which in itself I find tasteless and silly with it's bloated and comical type fonts. However the color is a bit brighter then expected, perfectly translucent with zero sediment.



*Aroma Before Water*

Weak and one dimensional. The heat of alcohol is strong and up front and there's a vague nose of Anise. This alone seemed strange to me as I usually find Anise and fennel to be up front and bold, regardless of brand. I was hard pressed to detect any Fennel whatsoever. I found no trace of floral and or herbal tones.



*Louche*

Not bad at all, in fact interesting in it's own right. Swirls of trails dance down towards the bottom of the glass and the Louche although not turbulent nor awe inspiring spreads out evenly and dense. The resulting color is a very pale lime green. It lacks the opalescent quality I've seen with other brands and it appears thicker than it actually is. As the mouth feel is more watery than one might expect, considering the density of the completed Louche.



*Aroma After Water*

More heady with Anise and a sweet, slightly medicinal nose. Sadly it stops here. Any herbal or floral characteristics is pretty much non existent. On a positive note there's no "funk" or odd, off putting aroma.



*Flavor*

One dimensional at best and candy sweet. It would be insanity to use sugar with this Absinthe. Unless you were having a glass for desert - or have a ferocious sweet tooth. It is most definitely sticky sweet with absolutely no bite of Wormwood or any bitter tang in the background to offset or balance it's syrup sweet flavor.



*The Finish*

A nice numbing of the tongue but the sticky sweetness lingers - and it lingers too long.



*Final Impression*

Too sweet for me, but others may enjoy it. I think at it's price point of $70 you're better off with any number of US offerings. It's not a bad drink but it does fall terribly short of any delicate nuances, notes and tones of the lovely flavors anyone with a love and respect of fine Absinthe would look for.



At 138 proof, Grande Absente packs quite a punch. To their credit there's an advisory on the back warning to drink it with care and moderation. I experienced no secondary effect whatsoever, just a dull headed buzz and a headache to boot.