Review Detail
4.3 7 0.5
Starry, "Starry" Night
(Updated: June 18, 2012)
Overall rating
4.2
Appearance
4.0
Louche
4.0
Aroma
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
4.0
Finish
4.0
Overall
4.0
Color
Perfectly clear and bright with the ever so slightest gold tint, however, nearly colorless. Louched, a fairly opaque white with a slight golden undertone and some light bluish-grey and violet-blue at the edges and meniscus.
Louche
Almost pearl-like under the right light, but unfortunately a little frustrating, because it is only so close. The weight of this louche is right at the limit. I'd like to see a little more translucence and I think it would be very pearl-like and pretty. I believe another reviewer mentioned the inclusion of star anise here, and I believe that to be true, based on palate and finish impressions. Dialing it back a bit would probably help the louche and the palate.
Aroma
A much more herbal initial impression than most blanches. Nice! Anise and fennel are in good support, with a quite complicated herbal profile. Great wormwood, chamomile, hay, straw, and flowers. A slight earthy, rooty tinge. Nothing "off", at all. Very balanced. A great "full frequency" range of impressions. As it warms I get the tiniest hint of powderiness.
Flavor
Tasty. Nice trinity. All the herbal stuff having their say... wormwood, pontica, chamomile, mint. The entry is very round, but moments later the coriander and Artemisias start to chisel away at the tongue, reinforced by a tingliness, almost bordering on prickliness. That's star anise showing it's hand, and I'd like to see it reduced for this reason. More water helps, but I've found star anise to be quite resistant to being tamed. All in all, though, quite nicely balanced. This new guy at Pernod has mouthfeel down to a science. Nice and smooth like a clean dry hand on wrapping tissue, and just the right weight.
Finish
Long, minty, fresh, and tingly. The tingliness immediately springs up over the entire palate, accompanied by some drying and salivation, all riding on the wormwood express. The star anise is apparent as the finish wears on, becoming a dominating brightness and just slightly over-drying. A little fatiguing, as a result.
Overall
Right up with the top blanches I have experienced. Beautiful, balanced, herbal. Aromas and flavors encompass the entire spectrum, from base to top notes. Wonderful immediacy to all impressions. A very defined personality, and consistent in attitude with the other recent E. Pernot offerings. Really, my only nit to pick is the mild aggression of the star anise. That said, my favorite dilution is as much water as I can stand, without it falling apart, somewhere in the 4:1 - 4.2:1 area. My man, Sly, said "Everybody Is A Star"... absinthes too, I suppose, and this one is shining brightly. Dial back that "star" from supernova to dwarf, and I'll bet you'd really have something here.
Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 3.5:1, 4:1, and 4.2:1 and no sugar.
La Maison Fontaine 11/06/10, 11/20/10, 11/27/10, 11/28/10.
All evaluations had consistent notes.
Perfectly clear and bright with the ever so slightest gold tint, however, nearly colorless. Louched, a fairly opaque white with a slight golden undertone and some light bluish-grey and violet-blue at the edges and meniscus.
Louche
Almost pearl-like under the right light, but unfortunately a little frustrating, because it is only so close. The weight of this louche is right at the limit. I'd like to see a little more translucence and I think it would be very pearl-like and pretty. I believe another reviewer mentioned the inclusion of star anise here, and I believe that to be true, based on palate and finish impressions. Dialing it back a bit would probably help the louche and the palate.
Aroma
A much more herbal initial impression than most blanches. Nice! Anise and fennel are in good support, with a quite complicated herbal profile. Great wormwood, chamomile, hay, straw, and flowers. A slight earthy, rooty tinge. Nothing "off", at all. Very balanced. A great "full frequency" range of impressions. As it warms I get the tiniest hint of powderiness.
Flavor
Tasty. Nice trinity. All the herbal stuff having their say... wormwood, pontica, chamomile, mint. The entry is very round, but moments later the coriander and Artemisias start to chisel away at the tongue, reinforced by a tingliness, almost bordering on prickliness. That's star anise showing it's hand, and I'd like to see it reduced for this reason. More water helps, but I've found star anise to be quite resistant to being tamed. All in all, though, quite nicely balanced. This new guy at Pernod has mouthfeel down to a science. Nice and smooth like a clean dry hand on wrapping tissue, and just the right weight.
Finish
Long, minty, fresh, and tingly. The tingliness immediately springs up over the entire palate, accompanied by some drying and salivation, all riding on the wormwood express. The star anise is apparent as the finish wears on, becoming a dominating brightness and just slightly over-drying. A little fatiguing, as a result.
Overall
Right up with the top blanches I have experienced. Beautiful, balanced, herbal. Aromas and flavors encompass the entire spectrum, from base to top notes. Wonderful immediacy to all impressions. A very defined personality, and consistent in attitude with the other recent E. Pernot offerings. Really, my only nit to pick is the mild aggression of the star anise. That said, my favorite dilution is as much water as I can stand, without it falling apart, somewhere in the 4:1 - 4.2:1 area. My man, Sly, said "Everybody Is A Star"... absinthes too, I suppose, and this one is shining brightly. Dial back that "star" from supernova to dwarf, and I'll bet you'd really have something here.
Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 3.5:1, 4:1, and 4.2:1 and no sugar.
La Maison Fontaine 11/06/10, 11/20/10, 11/27/10, 11/28/10.
All evaluations had consistent notes.
M
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