Week 46: L’Ancienne on National Absinthe Day [52 Whispers from the Muse]
L’Ancienne
Overall Rating: 4.8
Appearance: 4.5
Louche: 4.5
Aroma: 5.0
Flavor/Mouthfeel: 5.0
Finish: 5.0
Overall: 5.0
Style: Verte
Country: Czech Republic
Appearance: A very bright and clear amber with a lean to a greenish tint.
Louche: Beautiful layers that build full but not too quickly. The final louche is thick without being too heavy.
Aroma: A full blossoming in the room when the bottle is opened. Just sitting in the glass for a bit it was distractingly alluring. Mildly perfumed with a rush of Wormwood, Anise and spice.
Flavor/Mouthfeel: Rich and spicy while also being completely well balanced. Anise is a bit forward but the Wormwood follows it quickly ending with a peppery tingling. You need to take another sip.
Finish: The flavor lingers for a good long time, it starts sweet and ends with a very pleasant bitterness and tongue numbing.
When I mentioned above that the aroma was “distractingly alluring” it was when I was trying to set up the camera to do a short video. I kept stopping, closing my eyes, and just taking in the smells. it took me far too long to get things set up. I’ve only ever encountered this under one other circumstance but that would be waaay over my TMI threshold to explain.
I wasn’t planning on doing a review on National Absinthe Day but I did want to bring out an extraordinary bottle that I was familiar enough with to just enjoy. I did plan on doing a string of the remaining Zufanek Absinthes that I have, so now seemed like a good a time as any.
This one bottle, while still more than half full, is a failure on my part on due vigilance. I bought it in 2011 or 12 but didn’t pay any attention when it was mentioned that it wouldn’t be made again. Usually that’s my cue to have at least one extra bottle on hand… but I missed it… and there’s no more to be found.
