Appearance: It always pains me to give full points for a blanche, but it looked as though there wasn't anything in my reservoir glass when I poured it in.

Louche: Quite milky and ever so barely pink-toned, along with iridescent blues.

Aroma: Big smell while louching, peppery and sweet, with a slight musk and soil aroma. Really nice.

Flavor: Creamy and sweet, with a tangy sourness, very fruity fennel, and a sneaky wormwood floralness.

Finish: More tangy sour, and is pleasingly mouth-watering long after sipping.

Overall: Where this absinthe isn't perfect, I think it'd be damn near impossible to improve upon it. I enjoy it a good deal every time I drink it.

Appearance: Clearer than water with a hint of nothingness. This is seriously clean and clear. The glass ads the only imperfection that I can see. Almost surreal to an extent.

Louche: Surprisingly thick louche. The louche was quick to form and stands strong. The final result is a milky white with blue hued edges.

Aroma: Wormwood floral tones mesh with an anise sweetness, earthen herbs, and a fruit scent similar to apple. I'm betting on Chamomile usage. A bit of pepper tone is there to add depth, just a bit.

Flavor: A soft creamy texture is very noticeable along with a very sweet taste, to the degree that I would suggest sugar users try this one without sugar first. Wormwood rushes in first followed quickly by anise. Every background note that was detectable in the aroma is present in the taste. A very well balanced and deeply flavored blanche.

Finish: Anise and peppery coriander come out and dominate the lengthy finish changing the creamy texture into a sharp and slightly bitter finish. Very refreshing.

Overall: It is obvious to me why this is the gold standard blanche absinthe. This is well crafted and complex enough to keep one guessing. A very good place to start heading if you are looking for a good blanche.

Prepared 1:4 with small "dot"-sized sugar cube. Pontalier-style glass with matching brouilleur (dripper)

Color: Perfectly crystal clear pre-louche; after louche I would not consider this particularly creamy, but very nice opalescence and blue tints are impressive.

Louche: Great oil trails, but it doesn't last long. It's better to start with quite a slow drip to catch the "show." A billowing cloud appears in center of liquid after some time, and it's an impressive development.

Aroma: Very nice balance of the "trinity" with clear floral notes. Quite a fresh, natural aroma of mountain herbs and flowers. No alcohol odor present in bottle or glass.

Flavor: Fresh floral notes shine through the "trinity" superbly. Some vanilla notes, but nothing like Absinthe Duplais Blanche. Not too sweet, excellent balance of flavor. Hints of rose petals?

Finish: Flavors linger fresh with no bitter aftertaste. Grain alcohol quality is fine (no hangover after five glasses), wonderful fresh mountain floral complex stays with you. Different than Absinthe Duplais Blanche, better than Kübler.

Overall: Very, very good. Another one I must always have in my liquor cabinet.

Next day note (April 17, 2010): Sugar is not a must for La Clandestine. The natural balance of sweetness and bitter notes is wonderful. Sweeten only if you must.

This review is based on several glasses of LCB from between September os 2009 and March of 2010.

When it comes to blanches, it makes more sense to speak of clarity rather than color, and the clarity of Clandestine is fairly sharp, with a little bit of opalescence. But it's the aroma of this one which caught my attention -- it is one of a pleasant, spicy mintiness that outshiness any of the other three blanches I've tried to date.

As hinted at by the aroma, taste was just as spicy, but not overwhelming or too intense. In fact, the minty sharpness of the wormwood was very well balanced. The finish is equally pleasant, although I had expected it to last a little bit longer. Admittedly, I prefer my vertes, but this is an exceptional blanche and I would never refuse a glass.

I prefered this one mixed at a 4.5:1 ratio, with a teaspoon of light agave nectar. Others have noted that blanches tend to taste sweeter to them than vertes, but I didn't find this one to be so much sweeter as to warrant changing my normal amount of sugaring.

Revisited after almost a year of tasting. I modified the score up a tiny bit.

Sampled first at 3:1, with 1 sugar cube. A tiny bit of alcohol heat, Bringing it up to 4:1 was the key to lightening up this absinthe and bringing out it's softer elements. I like it best at 4:1. I no longer sugar blanches, and this is much better without sugar.

Color is perfectly water clear with no sediment.

Louche: Forms fairly quickly with distinct layering. Modest trails, but an evenly building billowy and smoky cloud from the bottom up. White tinged with blues and flashes of pinks while forming. A fairly thick milky louche.

Aroma, nice balanced anise and herbs. Fresh and clean.

Flavor was a tasty anise, a discreet yet quality wormwood and nice fennel are there, but it is a mellow and even ride, not one with a lot of spice and dazzle. A pleasant light white pepper edge. If you enjoy a rounded mellow blanche, you will certainly enjoy this.

Finish lingered nicely with anise and light peppery spice, with a slightly citrusy after-linger in the back of the mouth. Very creamy mouthfeel, even at 4:1.

Overall, this is a decent absinthe, and is safe intro into good blanches. I can see this would be a great absithe for mixing cocktails as well.