Roquette 1797

The color of this absinthe is one of my favorites, a deep peridot green. Very inviting and intriguing.

The louche was nice, but it seemed to build up rather uniformly as opposed to layering.

Aroma was clean and crisp with hints of pine and wormwood. Very herbal. Extremely attractive.

I liked the flavor of this absinthe because the bitterness of the wormwood and the sweetness of the anise really married well, and there was also a bubblegummy scent in the back of your mouth. Quite pleasant, with a crisp wormwood finish.

Overall, the flavors marry well, but nothing really stands out dramatically. It is a very interesting insight into the beginnings of absinthe, so it's worthy of any liquor cabinet.

Color is a very appealing, natural looking light green. No sediment. Very bright.

Not surprisingly, the louche is slow to form and is rather thin upon completion. This was to be expected based on the producer's notes regarding the recipe. Using a glass dripper with crushed ice, I managed to take approximately 10 minutes or so to louche up. It's a nice ending color, but not very thick.

The aroma is exactly what I was expecting from a recipe that was more of a tonic than an aperitif. Quite medicinal and herbal with a bit of alcoholic heat. I might penalize a normal absinthe for the heat, but it seems to fit with what the producer wanted to do with it. I loved it. It covered the entire room with an herbal blanket.

The flavor is tough to beat. Some may not enjoy the powerful herbal flavor, but I for one find it simply decadent. It's complex yet well balanced. Nice and spicy with just a hint of sweetness. You'd be hard pressed to find an absinthe with as strong of a flavor as this one. It's wonderful.

Finish was a bit astringent (again not surprising) but still very enjoyable. Strong minty wormwood flavor at the back of the tongue with lots of other things dancing around.

Overall, I have to say that, even though I really enjoyed the original release of the 1797, this second version is leaps and bounds above it. Really a great job. Bravo.