L'Italienne - Reviewed by Experts and Consumers at The Wormwood Society

 
4.1 (4)
 
4.2 (9)
0

Product Details

Style/Color
Degrees ABV (% alcohol)
Year of Make (if known)
Country of Origin

Editor reviews

8 reviews
Overall rating
 
4.1
 
4.0(4)
 
3.8(4)
 
4.8(4)
 
3.8(4)
 
4.0(4)
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Foresty.
(Updated: October 29, 2024)
Overall rating
 
3.6
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
3.0
Aroma
 
4.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
3.0
Finish
 
4.0
Overall
 
4.0
The colour is amber with hints of green around the edges. Looks like it has some age to it, which is perfectly fine. It smells dark and purfumey. Trinity is well blended and seems subdued. Powdery.

The louche is pretty thin, but nice colour. Yellow-green with good texture. Wish it were thicker. Water opened the aroma right up. Big wormwood, sweet anise. Earthy, grassy.

However there's not much anise on the palate, but more bitter wormwood. I'm not tasting the floral quality other people are. Lemony and vegetal. I like it but it's incomplete. Mouth-feel is thin.

The finish is wormwoody at first, but the anise finally comes through and the bitterness fades quickly. Sweet, fruity, and lingering.

To me this is an autumny absinthe. It's dark and woodsy. More anise to flesh out the louche and mouthfeel would improve it, but it's very tasty as is.
A
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Subtle Seduction From The Valle d'Awesome
(Updated: October 29, 2024)
Overall rating
 
4.4
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
4.0
Aroma
 
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
5.0
Finish
 
4.0
Overall
 
4.0
Color
Very clear amber with caramel tinges and glints of peridot at the edges. Although the dose poured is perfectly clear and bright, I can get only one pour per session like this (with a steady hand, and without up-righting the bottle, maybe two), since the bottom of the bottle has so much easily suspended sediment. It needs days of rest to get another clean pour.

Louche
A beautifully translucent and "gossamer" style that fits perfectly with the overall character of this absinthe. The primary color is like butterscotch with orange highlights, and refractions of milky blue, some green, and even a little rose as the glass is rotated. Very delicate, very pretty. Very nice action while forming.

Aroma
First of all... very different, very inviting. A beautiful bright, floral, and herbal center balanced by honeysuckle and citrus. Not tart or sour citrus, but more from the orange, tangerine, clementine family. Anise is in the background to support and legitimize this as absinthe. Further complexities added by hints of chamomile, lanolin, and beeswax.

Flavor
A delicate and gorgeous floral, dusty herbal, and wormwoody presence, backed up by the citrus and anise notes. A very classy, clean mouthfeel. And for all the components that lend an impression of sweetness, this is really much drier than most. The slightest hints of the aforementioned chamomile, lanolin, and beeswax impressions carry over to the palate making this just compli-tastic. An overall very feminine nose and palate impression.

Finish
I have no gripes with this finish. All the nose and palate impressions in a nice linear fade, followed by a gentle little drying "squeeze" on the tongue and upper palate. As it fades, the anise dances around the edges of all this in delicate little wisps. Not a monster long finish, but not short either. I think to expect it to be any longer is probably unreasonable, given the style. I had the primary finish impressions conservatively timed at 30 - 40 seconds.

Overall
This is a bottle of L'Italienne #1 that I have had for a little over a year. If you can't tell by now, I really like this one, a luscious offering from the Valle d'Aosta. It's beautifully delicate, feminine, floral, and sexy. I suspect this is a style that could have become a mess in the hands of another distiller, so congrats Stefano. Another aspect that really impresses me with this one is how nicely balanced it is at various temperatures from icy cold to room temperature. And speaking thereof, the only caution I would add here is that I definitely think this is best prepared with an icy cold very slow drip. My favorite dilution was a little north of 4/1. If you're the kind of drinker that only likes beverages that come at you like a freight train, look elsewhere. If you like subtle and seductive, this just might be for you.

Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 3/1, 4/1, 4.2/1, and no sugar.

L'Italienne 1/02/09, 1/10/10, 2/16/10.
All evaluations had consistent notes.
M
Top 10 Reviewer 45 reviews
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Interesting and odd
(Updated: October 29, 2024)
Overall rating
 
3.9
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
4.0
Aroma
 
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
3.0
Finish
 
3.0
Overall
 
4.0
Curious and unusual is this Italian entry into the absinthe world. The aroma is different yet fragrant and floral. My sample was not remotely green at all but a clear and bold golden amber. Post-louche had only the faintest whisper of green tint and leaning heavily toward the pastel amber color. I miss the anise forward flavor of traditional absinthe although L'Italienne is not displeasing but the flavors over-powering the anise did not strike me favorably. The wormwood is sustained from the first sip through the finish but could also be more fragrant.

I think there is room for unique and different styles of absinthe. This one is well-made and balanced and if you're looking for something other than a traditional absinthe, then it might be for you.
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This absinthe is so easy to drink
(Updated: October 29, 2024)
Overall rating
 
4.4
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
4.0
Aroma
 
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
5.0
Finish
 
4.0
Overall
 
4.0
This absinthe was extremely enjoyable.

Color: A very attractive deep green.

Louche: It didn't layer as much as I would hope, but it built up nicely and ended up deep and inviting.

Aroma: Very sweet, floral and inviting. The difference in the wormwood really does bring out the character in this absinthe. It's noticeably different from the aromas you'd get from Pontarlier wormwood. It's more floral and muted. Not as spicy. It works very well.

Flavor: The same relaxed, perfumey, floral character mentioned above brings itself over to the flavor as well. I think that even those people who think they must drink their absinthe with sugar would enjoy this without it. It's sweet, but not cloying, floral, but not overwhelmingly so. It ends with just a wisp of the wormwood bitterness.

Finish: It recedes a bit quicker than I would hope, but that's to be expected with the sublteness of the wormwood. It just makes you want to take that next sip all the more quicker.

Overall: I really like this absinthe. It's a departure from the normal, up-front bold abisnthes. This one is refined and glamorous. I can see myself drinking this seated at a sidewalk cafe in the dead of summer in Cortona. I couldn't ask for a better drink in that situation.
B
#1 Reviewer 174 reviews
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User reviews

9 reviews
 
44%
 
44%
3 stars
 
0%
 
11%
1 star
 
0%
Overall rating
 
4.2
Appearance
 
4.0(9)
Louche
 
3.8(9)
Aroma
 
4.5(9)
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
4.6(9)
Finish
 
4.1(9)
Overall
 
4.1(9)
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Very nice with unique flavor.
(Updated: October 29, 2024)
Overall rating
 
4.2
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
3.0
Aroma
 
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
5.0
Finish
 
4.0
Overall
 
4.0
Color: A yellowish jewel color. Clear and natural. Bright enough not to be dead leaf. Very good but too yellow in hue.

Louche: Slow to start and hazes the original color. Nice layering and ends up an oily translucence. Clouds up in a nice gradient and is slightly on the thin side.

Aroma: Strong very noticeable smells emerge from L'Italliane. A bitter rush up front and sweetness in the back. The trio of absinthe herbs are there but they are behind other smells including what I detect as a lemongrass smell.

Flavor: Very complex and powerful. The taste does better at slightly higher ratios. Perfect bitter-sweet flavor without sugar for me. Tea (jasmine?) and other flavors enhance the general absinthe taste. An amazing wormwood feel in the back of the mouth. Really tasty stuff here.

Finish: Slight peppery taste displays here and the finish sweetens up just a bit for a while. The flavor doesn't change much but it does display subtle variances. Mouth feel lasts a long time even after the flavor dies down.

Overall: This is so close to a higher rating in just about every aspect. The color and louche are a bit off but the flavor is amazing with nice tones displayed in a subtle way instead of the usual in your face style of experimentation. Jasmine and lemongrass are a nice touch and the wormwood is phenomenal. This definitely separates this absinthe from the rest while still sticking to traditional tastes.
E
Top 10 Reviewer 62 reviews
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Completely wonderful.
(Updated: October 29, 2024)
Overall rating
 
4.7
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
4.0
Aroma
 
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
5.0
Finish
 
5.0
Overall
 
5.0
Color: Topaz, but not in a "dead" way. Clear, and without sediment.

Louche: Extremely slow, but not too spectacular. Turns and attractive citrine color with amber tones. It can sometimes be finicky to get the correct temperature of water/texture.

Aroma: Once louched, the scent fills the room. It's absolutely magical. Very perfumed and beautiful, with the wormwood creating an easy bridge from the trinity over to the floral notes of lilac and jasmine. I would wear this as a perfume.

Flavor: I can't taste any flavors that I don't adore and I can't think of how all the flavors could be balanced any better. It's fresh and clean with a hint of lemongrass. It's strong jasmine and wormwood flavors have just enough anise to still be undeniably absinthe. So much could go wrong with all of these flavors, but this is so right.

Finish: Not so much of a "finish," as I feel 100% of the flavor lasts for quite a while before slowly diminishing.

Overall: It's hard to be too picky on what is clearly a natural color and louche, but I would like these to present a little better, but the taste more than makes up for this. Definitely my favorite absinthe.
A
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Very tasty and unique
(Updated: October 29, 2024)
Overall rating
 
4.4
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
4.0
Aroma
 
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
5.0
Finish
 
4.0
Overall
 
4.0
*Edited after drinking off and on over 8 months, and 2 bottles.

Sampled at 3:1 and 4:1, with 1 sugar, then with no sugar. I finally settled at about 3.75:1 and liked it more with half a sugar cube. I suspect you will either really like it, or you won't, due to its unique personality.

The color was a blend of amber, gold and yellow with a faint touch of green. Natural, and clear.

The louche formed slowly and evenly, with modest layering. A soft cloudy louche that formed more from the top down in my egg glass. It required a very cold, slow drip to really bring out the louche. The final color was a nice light green, that when held to a light became bronze, copper and gold with discreet green and yellow flashes. A thinner louche than most, but silky and opalescent.

Its aroma is floral, clean, and crisp, with a delicate perfume element. Interesting and different, and very inviting. It filled the room as water was added. The aroma as the louche formed was stunning; flowers and herbs, and a different softer wormwood with anise in the background. Absolutely wonderful.

As far as flavor, it is a tasty and unique absinthe. It reminded me a bit of Spanish absenta, but with a stronger floral personality, and a bit drier. Delicious gentle wormwood, flowers, perfume, delicate spice and citrus. Some may not like this, as it is not in the typical absinthe arena. I found I had to really hit the right water to absinthe ratio before I really enjoyed it. Just under 4:1 is where it suddenly all came together for me. I'm giving it a 5 as I feel it accomplishes something unique in a very well thought-out manner.

The finish is a bit shorter than ideal, but not overly so. A nice build with layering of its elements.

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Strange Brew
(Updated: October 29, 2024)
Overall rating
 
2.4
Appearance
 
3.0
Louche
 
3.0
Aroma
 
3.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
2.0
Finish
 
1.0
Overall
 
2.0
L'Italienne is a most unusual absinthe. It seems unremarkable at first, pouring a natural gold-olive with a strong, medicinal scent before water. The louche action is as it should be: all the usual visuals and ending in a thin, yellow jade.

After water, the aroma is quite odd. With a long inhale I get lavender, grapefruit, and white pepper, all mixed together. "Peculiar" is just the word for it. The flavor is odd and way out of balance. The white pepper becomes more intense, while the citrus remains, but there is also an intrusive bitterness which is not pleasing. That bitterness lingers in the finish, along with notes of pepper and a weird floral air, none of which can be mutually reconciled.

What I do not get with this absinthe is much in the way of anise, or the clean herbal bitterness I expect from a good absinthe. I am afraid I cannot recommend this one.
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Pretty woman..... walking down the flowerpath
(Updated: October 29, 2024)
Overall rating
 
4.5
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
4.0
Aroma
 
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
5.0
Finish
 
5.0
Overall
 
4.0
Color- Very rich golden green with slight amber tones. Deep and inviting with no sediment.

Louche- No swirly clouds or crazy layering. Extremely slow transition due to the use of quality green anise, in my opinion. Beautiful color when louched. It consists of gold and greens.

Aroma- Very flowery and perfumy. It’s like nothing I’ve ever smelled before. I get a whiff of anise, fennel and a Chinese spice I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s lavender and velvety throughout. This is outstanding.

Flavor- I get a good dose of green anise and a mixture of more flowers and perfume. Not an overpowering floral taste but a flavor that compliments the basic flavors of absinthe. It has a real feminine taste but it maintains assertiveness as others have noted. Powdery flavors transition to a peppery wormwood bite at the back of the tongue. The wormwood used is quality and the flavor is crisp.

Finish- This drink makes my mouth happy. Anise, flower and spicy notes are in full bloom at finish. They last pretty long. Only a small amount of tongue numbing.

Overall- I really like this absinthe. Definitely in my top 3. Everything is in balance. The transitioning of flavors is very unique. However, this may not appeal to everyone as it’s unconventional compared to most others on the market. If you’re looking for more floral flavors check this out. It is very distinctive and classy.

Notes- Louched with 3.5 parts water. This is the 1st edition of L'Italienne. Use a REALLY slow and cold drip in order to coax out the louche.

Score update on 2/21/10- In fairness, I changed the 'overall' score from 5 to 4.
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