Bottle purchased October 2008, review sample louched December 2008.

The presentation of CLB is absolutely top-notch. The blue bottle is distinctive, the label is beautiful, and from the first impression you begin to think this will be a wonderful glass to share with friends.

Neat, CLB presents pine forest with a bit of alcohol heat. Upon introducing the water drip (I sugared mine), I began to smell caramel and juniper. This aroma remained until about 2.5-3:1, after which the caramel dropped into the background and the forest aroma reasserted itself. I finished at a 4.5:1 ratio, which produced a room-filling aroma.

The first sip is full in the mouth, almost creamy, with tastes of juniper and a tangy something that borders on shoyu soy sauce - a marvelous, full flavor that makes your tongue ask, "Hey! What the hell is that!" Subsequent sips taste different each time, as the slight numbing effect begins to build. This is a pleasant experience that intrigues as much as it intoxicates.

The finish is long - tangy, ever-so-slightly bitter, and, again, numbing. CLB doesn't just disappear. It stays for a while.

I must say, with only Kubler and some Spanish absentas to compare, the Clandestine is heads-and-shoulders above the blanches I've tried. Well worth the investment, this bottle will make a worthy compliment to any Absintheur's collection.

While this is one of my first Absinthes, and was my re-introduction to Absinthe after a sizeable hiatus, I found this to be a very straight-forward flavour. Definately exactly what one would expect from a fennel-anice liqour. I didn't get a distinct wormwood flavour from this however, and found that it took a much higher water:absinthe ratio to cut the strong alcohol kick this absinthe had. The louche was very good, in my opinon. Almost completely opaque, comperable to skim or even 2% milk. It does have a very strong nose, unlike other absinthes that I have tried. In fact, the potency of the nose on this was somewhat off-putting for me, it overpowered me and made it a much less enjoyable experiance. My partner however did greatly enjoy this, and feels that this is his favorite absinthe to date.



I originally wrote the above almost two years ago. Since then I have come to regard this as my favorite absinthe, and an excellent starting point for those interested in the drink. It is simple but it's simplicity is beautiful. It lacks the strong biting flavors of some more complex absinthes, but I don't hold that against it. It's cliche but less is more at times, and this is one of them. I have found that as this absinthe ages the nose becomes much less pungent, which is noteworthy for those sensitive to smells.



I keep coming back to this absinthe, and believe I will continue to do so.