Very much a love it or hate it proposition.
Note: This is a French Absinthe distilled in a town just outside of the city of Cognac. Made from a old original recipe, this absinthe is very much atypical from the many other recipes people have resurrected (for better or worse) trying to rebuild the Absinthe industry.
First Impression: Eucalyptus underlaid with anise, coriander, sage, mint – almost enough to curl your nose hairs, alcohol in background rather than foreground. Sweetish pastis/licorice, star anise smell overall.
Appearance: Clear, bright blue green, very reminiscent of a cologne or Nyquil in color and somewhat in the smell – reminds me of something of a antique barber’s bay rum, and another aftershave.On swirling, leaves a thin coat on the glass with scalloping and very thin legs developing. Louche is decent but not awe inspiring (turns opalescent but no swirls, pools,etc.).
Taste: The eucalyptus, mint,and sage make for a heady,aromatic mix. Not overly complex- mint hits you first, with star anise on its heel coating your tongue.Very pastis-like ending (think Pernod). Decently made, if a very unorthodox taste to it.
Drinks: An intriguing if challenging spirit to work with. I highly recommend it as something to play with as it has a strong, refreshing profile requiring reflection and experimentation.
Other: Due to the relatively low proof I recommend a 3-1 max dilution (most are 6-1 dilution) or do what I did – pour it over some cubes of ice.
Bottle: Dark green glass decanter wine bottle shape with a frosted design with diabolic overtones – much in the style its forebears. Topped with a pleasingly complex mixture of old style stamp/seal, a wire harness,with a cork closure and wood cap it lends a sense of ceremony getting it open the first time.
Final Thoughts: Pleasant enough, a very different or iconoclastic taste. Distillation is good. A difficult one to classify or grade against other absinthe as its taste is very singular and sufficiently different from other absinthe to make a direct comparison very hard.
