Demoiselle Verte Originale Absinthe

Appearance: (neat) Olive-oil, peridot. (louched) Dense milky olive-green with yellow tinges. The louche begins quickly, well before 1:1 dilution, and by 1:1 it's fully formed. It maintains opacity up to around 1:3 then starts to thin. Aroma: (neat) Wormwood, fennel, anise. Instantly identifiable as absinthe but there's also an unusual woody, twiggy scent that I can't quite place. It's earthy, has the slightest hint of smokiness and brought to mind rooibos tea or melaleuca (tea-tree). It's enough to set the nose slightly apart from any French or Swiss absinthe I've encountered. It's not unpleasant but it's a little too dominant. There's also a lack of strong mint or citrus aromas which suggests not much melissa (lemon balm) is in this recipe. Flavour and Texture: Sweet, minty herbal entry with a focus on wormwood and fennel. There is very little astringency and not much of a numbing effect on the tongue. The anise component seems to be quite low and the background bitterness is mild. The same woody, almost smoky note that was on the nose is found in the palate as well and again it's a little intrusive. The texture is good – creamy and satisfying, but there is a slightly soapy taste in the finish. This is a mild absinthe and I'd recommend a louche of no more than 1:4. Experienced absinthe drinkers might even want to keep it to just under 1:3, and as it is also somewhat sweet some people may prefer not to add sugar. I miss the usual citrus note you get from lemon balm here, although their site says that particular ingredient is included. The woody, herbal quality is interesting at first but too prominent. I could easily imagine there is smoked tea in the maceration, but it's probably a by-product of the specific strains of herbs being used or the herb drying process. Demoiselle Distillery is located near the town of Orange, about 250 km west of Sydney in the central New South Wales tablelands. The owner and distiller started work on the distillery in 2008 and it was fully functioning by 2012. He makes the base neutral spirit in a 1200 litre column still and the absinthe is distilled in a 600 litre pot still in small batches. He grows his own herbs for the product and the verte expression is coloured with a maceration of petit wormwood. It's an OK absinthe that I rate on the high side of average but the unusual profile is both a feature and an issue. Individuality and creativity are good things in a spirit, but this one starts to cross the line and by the time I'm half way through a glass I'm over it and wanting to louche a glass of something more standard. The price puts it squarely up against Pernod, Absinthe Bourgeois and La Fee, all of which are superior. “Average": 78/100 (2.75 stars)