Week 23: Amave [52 Whispers From The Muse]

Amave

Overall Rating: 4.4
Appearance: 4.5
Louche: 4.0
Aroma: 4.5
Flavor/Mouthfeel: 4.5
Finish: 4.0
Overall: 4.5

Appearance: Crystal, crystal clear and flawlessly transparent.
Louche: Some hints of pale blue as the louche forms well defined trails that quickly fill out, Ends in a slightly translucent milk white.
Aroma: Sweet anise with a bright citrus hit your nose first. Fresh and crisp herbs follow.
Flavor/Mouthfeel: Much like the aroma, slightly sweet anise with that fresh crispness that levels to a slight but pleasant bitterness. Luxuriously smooth which calls you to drink more. Not overly complex but extremely nice.
Finish: Light and dry finish. Initially I over-diluted it forgetting it was only 53%. Seemed to work best for me at about 2-2.5:1 water to Amave.

Overall: A gorgeous simplicity without being simple. This La Bleue seems to have been made with a purpose to be exceptional and minimal without sacrificing flavor or quality. This is a very, very easy Absinthe to drink.

There was a point I could say that I preferred a French Verte as my favorite type/style of Absinthe. Jade and early Emile Pernot Absinthes had my heart and it took me quite some time to want to even try any Blanches or Bleues. It was probably when the Emile Pernot house brands went to hell that I decided to branch out. I’m glad I did since there are so many great non-vertes out there. This is definitely one of them.

 It’s easy to say that Zufanek’s first La Bleue is up to par with the whole Zufanek brand. To say that it’s the best Czech Blanche isn’t really a compliment at all but it is fair to say that Amave stands very well as a Swiss styled La Bleue regardless of where it was made. What I don’t understand is how all of the Czech Crapsinthe brands stay in business.