Color: A nice greenish amber. Very nice. After louche, a thick completely opaque green, not the most attractive, but I am not bothered by this.

Louche: Some nice oil trails end quickly with a thick cloud-forming louche. Drink ends up quite opaque. Not as delightful as say, Pacifique or Absinthe Duplais Verte, but so what? The show is only a small part for me.

Aroma: Wonderfully complex. Peppery basil up front, some sweetness from a very high quality brandy. Non-offensive, classic brandy/alcohol odor, but it's clearly not overpowering.

Flavor: The very nice combination of the herbs listed on the label — "Star Anise, Mint, Wormwood, Lemon Balm, Hyssop, Meadowsweet, Basil, Fennel, Tarragon, and Stinging Nettles" — would seem to be all apparent; admittedly, I forget what Meadowsweet tastes like. This is an original recipe and I think it's very special. Certainly, the star anise, mint, lemon balm, basil and fennel are apparent, and the wormwood, which I tend to feel more than taste is certainly apparent. The fact that this is an original American recipe should be celebrated. What makes it sooooo American? The stinging nettles. It's native plant. (It's also native in other areas of the world, too). I consider St. George Absinthe Verte to be on a par with Pacifique, only different. Pacifique is an excellent American take on the classic French absinthe. It's the most "French" of the absinthes that I've tasted, even considering some supposedly authentic French ones. But this St. George has fine qualities, and would seem to go better with Italian food than anything I've tried. I'm not thinking red sauce, but perhaps sauteéd garlic, olive oil and then fresh Parmesan cheese over linguine, with a side arugula salad? It would be fab no doubt. St. George is a superior spirit in general — and it IS true absinthe!

Finish: One is not left with as intense of a wormwood numbness after imbibing St. George, as compared with some of the other higher rated brands. But sometimes such an overpowering feeling is not desired. The herbs are fresh and clean and leave no bad aftertaste. The brandy is quite fine. Very good, but could it possibly benefit from a bit more grand wormwood? Too much wormwood is not desirable for me!

Overall: What the heck, there is no 4.5 score here, so I'm going to give it a 5. It's just a very fine drink engineered apparently by a true master. Very clean and fresh, the herbs are all tasty, apparent and desirable. The brandy is absolutely fine. This is an American original! I'm much more impressed than I thought I would be based on the reviews of others. More grand wormwood might help it slightly, but it's debatable point. I am not complaining one bit! Thank you Mr. Winters.

Final note: Drink was prepared in an absinthe glass with brouillier at about 3:1 dilution. Two "dot" sugar cubes were used, but one might do. Sweeten to your own taste. St. George is not so good when it is over-diluted, and it needs at least some sugar to more fully bring out its unique and excellent flavors. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

EDIT: After sampling this more, I raised the finish to a 4.


The color was bit dark..a medium/dark olive oil green. When louched, it was a bit of murky yellow/white with a drab hint of green. Thick.

Louche was interesting, but very fast. Strong trails were quickly obscured by clouds that went to a thick heavy solid very fast. Like watching a great louche in fast motion.

Aroma...strong Italian herb up front...basil? Sage? I'm guessing basil. A nice floral element, but I had to hunt for the subtler details. Also an edge of citrus (a soft lemony trace?) Before louche, a strong alcohol up front.

Flavor was interesting. Different, yet drinkable. The anise was a bit too sweet for me, and again I got the feel of basil. There is a slight sour citrus edge as well...again that soft buttery lemon... This isn't going to be for everyone. My guess is you'll like it or you won't. I'm struggling on a 3 or 4 here, I'm going with a 3 because it isn't bad, but it isn't great. There can be conceptual variances in absinthe as long as they aren't ugly. I personally find the basil edge a bit much, and there's almost a dentyne gum flavor (am I dating myself?) a spicy cinnamon edge aftertaste that is a bit too much. Hey...it's a big world.

The finish was not as long or interesting as I'd like. Just a tingle on the tongue,
strong anise, spices, and again that tang of citrus. The finish was one of its highlights

Overall, I missed the lovely alpine aroma and herbs I've come to love in other absinthes. These were replaced by that Italian herbal edge. Not bad at all, just not what I would reach for on a regular basis. Bear in mind, as an apperitif, it might go wonderfully with certain food flavor profiles.

colour is right, some golden reflections, ends gray green that is helluva opaque

Louche is THICK as hell, badiane excess's evident
Aroma:

Huh? Sage, pine, nothing like absinthe

Tasting:

Ewww, cloying, not alcoholic, but very grassy and heavy. There is everything we know from kitchen, but not from absinthe.

Interesting herbal liqueur, but too weird and too sweet for a herbal liqueur even. Have no idea whjat in reality it is

This review is based on bottle opened two weeks ago by someone else...I was a bit late on tasting it myself. It was prepared 3:1 sans sugar.
Color- Kind of an unusual color here, atl least comapred to what I’m used to so far. Kind of a brownish yellow. I had a comparisson but because I enjoy St. George it was less than favorable. I assume the color is due to the brandy since it has a dark murky tone to it.

Louche- A nice louche here. It starts with some billowing white clouds
and some nice fluid oil trails. The full louche seemed to come at about 2:1. And the color is much improved. It turns to a more traditionally expected milky green. When held against natural light I noted some shades of yellow, green and brown flowing in the light against the milky white backdrop of the louche. Very attractive.
Aroma- Very very bad representation of this absinthe. There is a decent mixture of herbs but I continually take in a fake "plasticy" cinnamon-like smell. This may be to the extensive amount of herbs used.

Flavor- The taste was pretty unexpected. Much more enjoyable than the smell led me to expect. It starts off tasting like a anise’s spicier-feistier lil brother and continues with a sweet wash that is almost citrusy with a light wormwood bitter feel on the back of the tongue.
I’m not sure what stinging nettle is ut I have a feeling it helps the herbs like basil play off of the wormwood bitterness and keep a nice even flow between with the sweet anise and brandy flavors. I’d imagine this is what an Italian restaurant would serve if Absinthe became more common place, it seems as though it would go great with a nice zesty pasta.
Finish- Basil fennel and wormwood work beautifully together ending the drink with a spicy warming bang. There was a it of tongue numbing with the finish but with the spiciness of the herbs it actually seems enjoyable..Welcome even.
Overall- This a good American offering. IF you know anyone who says that there are no good Absinthes distilled in America pour them a glass of St. George, they’ll thank you. I’ve heard it sai and I must agree that this is quite an unusual absinthe. It may be a bit spicy for some, but regardless I think it’s worth a try I will definitely keep it on my good list.

Color- Light brown, looks slightly like watered-down brandy. Darker then any absinthe I've seen. No sediment. Probably not to everyone's liking but I think it's pretty nice.

Louche- Thick, swirling clouds developing from the top. Thin meniscus lasts till about 1.5 OZ of water.

Aroma- Very very bad representation of this absinthe. There is a decent mixture of herbs but I continually take in a fake "plasticy" cinnamon-like smell. This may be to the extensive amount of herbs used.

Flavor- Much improved over the aroma. Anise starts off on the tip of your tongue and a multitude of vegetable spiciness coats your mouth during the finish. A bit of wormwood pinch at the end. I like this.

Finish- Basil, fennel and a mixture of other herbs are present. There is a bit of tongue numbing and the finish is VERY savory. Kind of like a quality mixture of spices on a roast. What didn’t work well for the aroma and flavor worked perfectly for the finish. Very long. I’m impressed.

Overall- This is a good American-made absinthe. It is very unique and the flavor profile is creative. However, this stuff is way overpriced compared to other offerings available on the internet. If you find it for a good price add it to your cabinet.