As I'm writing this first review, I'm a bit excited. This night is a night of victory in revenge, there's music and chattering around me that makes me shake (at least, more thant normally) This is my first review, from my bi-mensual Clandestine and since I didn't tried other real absinthes (Pernod and Hill's doesn't count and I doesn't have the courage to retake them just for your reviews!) my comparison is very limited. I base myself a lot on your comments. But maybe I could rereview it when I'm more experienced. I also may be a bit rough since it's my new standard and my review is based on my current experience, as I'm sipping it. Anyway...

Color : All clear, no sediments... I suppose it's a 5, which is unfair for verte since there's more variety in them.. A white is always clear, and gets a 4-5, or is not, and get a 1! Maybe when louched you can see some details that I miss, but it's a nice white and the lights gives it some orange hue but it's the lights, so... A nice cloudy white!

Louche : Man, I did miss that part in a dumb way, by pouring to quickly my water in it. Maybe it was those damn hands, the excitation, or just the water jar they gave me... Anyway, it was a bit to quick so I'll give it a 3. But when fully louched, it is a nice, pale, milky white, with some transperency on the top. Very nice, with the lights...

Aroma : A lot of anise, makes me think of a pastis. When unlouched, it was a bit "spiky" (don't know if it's green or star anis but if it's the later it must be those star point getting at your nose!), but when you start louching it, the aroma develop slowly in a more floral scent. Cannot smell the details... A bit of alcohol, and something I have some difficulty to describe. Defnitiely flowery, I'll say!

Flavor : Taste like it smells but with a little amertume and a little crisp. Might be the wormwood. The fennel for the amertume? It's also creamy, in a way.

Finish : A little numbness, somewhat huggish, like the caress of a cruel women. A bit unpleasant, but saliva come in your mouth and you want to repeat. It lasts longly, hitting in the middle with some crispiness, then lowering itself on a more floral-I-don't-know-what note, with the amertume (fennel?) of the flavor.

Overall : I give it a 5 instead of a 4 because I assume to be to hard on her, ma belle bleue à moi, and because from what I saw, it's one of the best commercial brand of bleue.

P.S. : Was prepared with something like a 3.5 water, 2 little piece of sugar (equivalent of a cube) for 1 dose (30ml) of Clandestine. At a bar. In Mtl, Quebec... I will try it without sugar next time, it would surely farthers it away from pastis, since it's quite anisée. I like anis a lot, but I suppose to taste the subtilities it would be better to make it without sugar. Now the music is better, less loud, and my absinthe is nearly finished, I'm sad but happy at the same time, I don't want to finish it. Have to go but want another. To poor... The music is becoming louder, I should go away and leave with the souvenir of my bleue and of this night. Now.

This is good stuff... Among the blanches I've tried, I prefer La Sorciere Bleue, but this is real close to that. No real flaws, well-worth drinking.

Appearance: having seen three quite good blanches in person so far, I begin to understand why some are very reluctant to award "5"s to blanches... I'm not necessarily reluctant, just concerned that I haven't seen the best a blanche can be yet. I use "reservoir" type absinthe glasses-- when it gets so clear that I can lose the "water line" against the pinch in the glass between reservoir portion and main body and really have to look to see that there's anything in there, I'll give a "5"-- because I'm told that there are blanches that clear out there, and La Clandestine isn't quite that good (although it's really close)-- I'm giving it a 4.5.

Louche: Down at 3-- because it's acceptable, but very opaque. Also because I stacked this up against the other two blanches I had on hand.... and I had trouble telling them apart (the Kubler actually had the best louche).

Aroma: I'm not really good at judging this part-- but it smells good to me.

Flavor/Mouthfeel: Excellent. No flaws. Perfect? Probably not... I think the La Sorciere Bleue is a little better, on the other hand, this is a little better than Kubler. It's well worth drinking...

Finish: Excellent, intriguing. Good stuff

Overall: La Clandestine has the reputation of being the blanche against which all other blanches are measured. I think the reputation is well-earned.

Appearance: absolutely clear, almost invisible

Louche: Beautiful, but it's over pretty quickly. Pearly white with a few blue overtones.

Aroma: No-nonsense, unadorned absinthe goodness. Nothing stands out, but that's not a complaint. Everything harmonizes into a nice bouquet.

Flavor: Wow. I'm partial to vertes, but if all the blanches were this good, I wouldn't be so biased. Rock-solid blend of the trinity, slightly bitter (but not too much), seductively spicy (but not overpowering), and a hint of numbing that just begs for another sip.

Finish: Slightly dry, slightly bitter, a hint of anise, a dose of pepper... long after the last sip.

Overall: This will absolutely be my go-to brand when I want to introduce someone to absinthe. It's not edgy, it's not unusual, it's not trying to be anything other than a really, REALLY good absinthe, and it hits the mark almost perfectly. I'll definitely have this on hand all the time.

I believe La Clandestine is the best blanche I've tried to date, just edging out the also excellent La P'tite. It begins perfectly clear and louches to a uniform (if slightly thin) milk white. The aroma is pleasant though very delicate.

In the tasting, La Clandestine really comes into its own. The flavor is surprisingly rich and spicy, with a controlled herbal bitterness and no hint of unwanted grassiness. The finish is truly delightful: long, lingering, spicy and unique. Full marks!

Color: Perfectly clear, absolutely transparent.

Louche: With the first drops: nice oily swirls bluish and orange, with some purple. Then a very thick, milky, creamy white with some blue. It reminds me, just visually, of Italian “orzata”, an almond based drink for kids. Pearly opalescent.

Aroma: With the first drops the aroma explodes, Mostly anise. Alpine woods. Some wormwood.

Flavor: Anise, and wormwood. Complex, with restrained bitterness. Like other Bugnon absinthes I tasted, all rough edges seem to have been distilled away. Only sweetness and balance remain.

Finish: Creamy in the mouth. Anise and wormwood lingering for long.

Overall: A lovely absinthe. I drink almost exclusively green absinthes, so I’m not a competent judge. It has all the marks of Bugnon's excellent craft.