Review Detail
3.9 3 0.5
Traditional Absinthe
Almost a session absinthe.
Overall rating
3.2
Appearance
3.0
Louche
4.0
Aroma
4.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.0
Finish
2.0
Overall
3.0
This is from a recently-found sample that is at least three years old. Before louching the absinthe is olive-green and hazy. The aroma is watery, with a pineapple character. Anise is dominant.
It louches a fairly opaque, whitish green but not thick enough to leave a residue on the glass. The aroma is now less fruity, more anise-heavy, with a little bit of an ammonia smell that is a reall buzzkill.
The flavour is mostly wormwood, with a little anise beneath--not nearly as much as in the aroma. Due to this, it's more bitter than sweet. Wormwood is a little weird and contributes a dill flavour. To me a lot of wormwood does this to a small degree, but in this absinthe it's pronounced.
The finish is the weakest part; overly numbing, most of the flavour dies quickly. Some wormwood lingers, but it is marred by ammonia-like traces underneath.
It's an okay absinthe but it has some issues. I appreciate its wormwood-forward flavour but it sacrifices complexity to achieve it. This would be perfectly acceptable for a "session absinthe" (think IPA hoppiness and refreshment) but the weird off-flavours hurt it in that regard.
It louches a fairly opaque, whitish green but not thick enough to leave a residue on the glass. The aroma is now less fruity, more anise-heavy, with a little bit of an ammonia smell that is a reall buzzkill.
The flavour is mostly wormwood, with a little anise beneath--not nearly as much as in the aroma. Due to this, it's more bitter than sweet. Wormwood is a little weird and contributes a dill flavour. To me a lot of wormwood does this to a small degree, but in this absinthe it's pronounced.
The finish is the weakest part; overly numbing, most of the flavour dies quickly. Some wormwood lingers, but it is marred by ammonia-like traces underneath.
It's an okay absinthe but it has some issues. I appreciate its wormwood-forward flavour but it sacrifices complexity to achieve it. This would be perfectly acceptable for a "session absinthe" (think IPA hoppiness and refreshment) but the weird off-flavours hurt it in that regard.
A