St. Antoine Absinthe v. 1 and 2 - Reviewed by Experts and Consumers at The Wormwood Society

 
2.8 (3)
 
2.9 (1)
0

Product Details

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Editor reviews

6 reviews
Overall rating
 
2.8
 
3.3(3)
 
2.3(3)
 
3.0(3)
 
2.7(3)
 
3.0(3)
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Not a bad effort
(Updated: October 29, 2024)
Overall rating
 
2.7
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
2.0
Aroma
 
2.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
3.0
Finish
 
2.0
Overall
 
3.0
I like the dark color in the glass. It's different but appealing to me.

When the cold ice water started falling into the absinthe, I thought I would see a lovely feuille morte but sadly, the louche did not develop.

The aroma was not unpleasant but missing anise and wormwood.

Likewise, the flavor is also weak in anise and wormwood. Otherwise, it not unpleasant.

The wormwood falls away too quickly. There is a lingering bitterness but the wormwood flavor does not.

Overall, it is a pretty good beverage and not a terrible non-traditional absinthe.



More anise and more (better) wormwood and I think this would be a very good absinthe. There are some interesting herbs working but missing the key pieces.
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Lots of promise here
(Updated: October 29, 2024)
Overall rating
 
2.6
Appearance
 
3.0
Louche
 
2.0
Aroma
 
3.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
2.0
Finish
 
3.0
Overall
 
3.0
Received a bottle of this today. Thanks Martin!



The color is too deep for me. Even my wife, who isn't in to absinthe mentioned that it didn't look like absinthe because it was too dark. It's attractive and enticing, but could be lightened up and would look much better.



The louche was almost non-existent to me without sugar. I think that may be due to the triple distillation, taking a lot of the anise out of the product.



The aroma is nice, but I'm not getting a lot of wormwood or anise. Mainly just veronica. It's refreshing and clean, but too light.



The flavor is enjoyable, but it certainly doesn't taste like absinthe. Too much distillation has lost a lot of the essential flavors of the holy trinity. This could be easily fixed. It lacks all of the overwhelming bitterness that you see with most Czech brands, which is a major plus, and shows some care in the product.



The finish lacks depth again due to the above issues, but it isn't bad. The veronica seems to be of high enough quality to keep it enjoyable, but I'd like to see more than just that.



Overall, this isn't much of an absinthe right now (still closer than anything else I've tried from the CR), but with just a few adjustments, this could easily end up being the best absinthe coming out of the Czech Republic. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the future changes bring to this. Seeing a Czech distiller actually taking care to produce a quality absinthe is refreshing. However, I'd like to see Martin remove the thujone content on the label.



All in all, shows promise.
B
#1 Reviewer 174 reviews
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A good (Czech) step in the right direction but....
(Updated: October 29, 2024)
Overall rating
 
3.0
Appearance
 
3.0
Louche
 
3.0
Aroma
 
4.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
2.0
Finish
 
3.0
Overall
 
3.0
Color : nice dark olive with an amber tint but too deep.

Louche : louches correctly with slow iced water drip and specially with sugar. Quickly overwaters, needs great care. A very light (or almost none) louche without sugar and regular drip. So let's say it does louche decently if carefully prepared (hence the 3 stars).

Aroma : Alcohol is not overpowering, nice floral bouquet (thanks Veronica!), just lacks a little something in the balance, like a rich wormwood or a savory green anise aroma.

Flavor : that's where it hurts. Not unpleasant but clearly shows some flaws. Over-distilled that conducts to a non-existent wormwood flavor and almost non-existent anise and fennel flavors. Over-colored that conducts to overpowering pontica/hyssop/veronica flavors. Result : totally unbalanced.

Finish : ok the veronica leaves a nice finish, but again it lacks something like a nice sweet and biting anise finish.

Overall : It's not a bad product per se, and I'm sure Martin can easily improve it by lightening his distillation method and by having a less heavy hand on the coloration step.

This is the best Czech absinthe I've ever tasted (ok, easy one) and (I hope) soon to be a good absinthe as such.
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User reviews

1 review
Overall rating
 
2.9
Appearance
 
4.0(1)
Louche
 
1.0(1)
Aroma
 
3.0(1)
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
2.0(1)
Finish
 
4.0(1)
Overall
 
4.0(1)
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What a surprise, indeed!
(Updated: October 29, 2024)
Overall rating
 
2.9
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
1.0
Aroma
 
3.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
2.0
Finish
 
4.0
Overall
 
4.0
As probably everyone else I was very curious and afraid of trying that absinthe (yeah, absinthe, not absinth) which hails from Czech Republic. And what can I say? I am really astonished. Starting with appearance: the colour is very nice, natural green striving slowly towards feuille morte (see pic.)



Another good aspect of that absinthe is its intriguing, clean aroma, composed of veronica, anise and pontica. The alcohol is very clear and delicate, trying it neat provides no burn we know from poorly-made spirits.



The flavour is very complex, and predominantly veronicae-in one word: this is an ultimate veronica bomb!



However, there are some things in that absinthe that need fixing. First of all, despite the subtle if evident anise presence, the louche is very, very delicate and more water and all the goodness is lost. The best ratio I have found was 1:2, 1:2.5.

Nevertheless, it louches unlike 99% of absinth(e)s made in the Czech Republic.



Secondly, the colour is quite right, but the abundance of colouring herbs (pontica and hyssop especially) should be tweaked so as to let wormwood bloom since wormwood note is very discrete in the concoction and at first sip you might not find it at all, though it is there, right behind pontica, following anethole buddies.



All in all, this is the very first successful attempt at making a genuine absinthe in Czech Republic. Because of it unusual strong veronica profile and unbalancity (maybe little aging prior to bottling will help?) it will not appeal to everyone, but some of absintheurs shall find it enjoyable for sure.
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