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Tasting
Notes
All rights reserved
©2009 F. Paul Pacult
The following story appeared in the September 2008 issue of
F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal.
New
Absinthe and Liqueur Reviews
ABSINTHE - France & Austria
Editor's note: I've segregated the four absinthes for you, away
from the rest of the liqueurs. I have always been puzzled by
the wistful popularity of this now legal libation. My belief
is that it was because it was illegal that some people made noise
about it and took great pains to "smuggle" bottles
into the U.S. and then tell their enthralled friends about their
adventures. Make something taboo and some of us go wild. I think
that it's much ado about nothing and that the mini-craze, if
there is one, will blow over in 2-3 years once the devotees have
their day in the green sun. In the meantime…
 Grande Absente
Absinthe Originale (France; Crillon Imports, Paramus, NJ); 69%
abv, $70.
Pastel, neon, Jolly Rancher green/yellow color; excellent clarity.
Considering the lofty abv, this opening aroma is gentle, even
delicate in its conveyance of herbs, roots, and barks; following
another seven minutes of exposure to air, the aroma features
oily and moderately potent notes of aniseed and licorice. Palate
entry is intensely spirity, deeply herbal and licorice-like,
and totally dry; midpalate features the licorice attack on the
tongue and is waxy. Concludes strong in abv aggression, intensely
herbal/leafy, off-dry, and strikingly like black licorice. The
bright yellow/green color looks manufactured and, to me, is a
bit of a turn-off when compared to the others in this flight.
Spirit Journal Rating 2008:
 Recommended
 La Muse Verte
Absinthe Traditionelle (France; Christine Cooney Spirits, Lakeville,
MA); 68% abv, $62.
Dark, herbal, basil leaf green color; very good purity. First
sniffs encounter strange and wonderful scents of herbed (rosemary)
and salted butter, caraway seeds, and fresh herbs (dill, sage,
rosemary); further aeration brings out a rye bread with caraway
seed quality that's unusual and pleasing. Palate entry is desert
dry, nearly mouthpuckering, and is intensely herbal, with dill,
rosemary, and sage leading the way; midpalate is less aggressive
and introduces an anise element that complements the herbs very
nicely. Finishes chalky, minerally, concentrated, and spirity.
This is more in line with how I envision real absinthe to be:
unpleasant in a weirdly appealing manner. I know, it's a true
paradox. Or maybe it's an enigma wrapped inside a mystery bundled
inside a secret. I'm hallucinating. Call me a cab. Oh, I'm home.
Right. Thought those pulsating walls looked familiar.
Spirit Journal Rating 2008:
Recommended
 Mata Hari
Absinthe (Austria; Beacon Beverage Imports, Manhasset, NY); 60%
abv, $50.
Greenish/blue/ocean color; flawless clarity. Snappy, peppery,
and dry aromas greet the olfactory sense in the early-on whiffs;
additional time in the glass stimulates highly spirited aromas
to emerge, ending up prickly in the nostrils as well as buttery/oily
and grassy/vegetal; a fetching bouquet. Palate entry is coyly
sweet, fruity, almost like cucumber, and nicely herbal; anise
makes an entrance at midpalate and blends well with the fruitiness
(which I fail to more closely identify). Concludes sweeter than
most, nicely herbal but not overly so, and even a touch honeyed.
Hey, I like this one a lot.
Spirit Journal Rating 2008:
Highly
Recommended
Pernod aux Plantes d'Absinthe Supérieure (France;
Pernod Ricard USA, Purchase, NY); 68% abv, $65.
Medium herbal green; unblemished purity. Spirity, herbal, and
tangy aromas come across in the initial inhalations after the
pour; another seven minutes unleashes an appealing wave of anise/licorice
that is dry, spicy, herbal, and vegetal simultaneously. Palate
entry is dry then off-dry, minerally/slaty, and anise-like; midpalate
features the anise, but also nicely salty tastes of dried spice
(mace) and herbs (sage) that overlap with the mineral/concrete
characteristic. Finishes bitter, herbal, with a hint of anise
and salt. Works for me as a standard.
Spirit Journal Rating 2008:
Highly
Recommended
 Cointreau
Noir Orange Liqueur & Cognac Liqueur (France, Remy Cointreau
USA, New York, NY); 40% abv, $60.
Topaz/medium amber color; impeccable clarity. Comes off properly
orangy and zesty in the opening round of nosing, with a mere
hint of cognac and, even more subtly, almond paste; bouquet improves
and deepens with aeration as the cognac emerges more and the
orange zest turns more bittersweet than sweet, leaving the impression
of elegance and fruity/nutty understatement. Palate entry is
sweet, juicy, fruity, and spirity; midpalate features a lusciously
deep orange peel bittersweet that's in complete harmony with
the cognac foundation. Ends on a keen dried orange peel note
that's tangy and bittersweet. Nicely done.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highly
Recommended
Espiritu del Ecuador (Ecuador; CMSC Spirits Group, Morganville,
NJ); 30% abv, $27.
Displays a greenish/marigold/yellow color; appears pure.
First sniffs encounter heavy confectionery aromas, most notably
refined sugar and candied tropical fruits; aeration sees the
sugary aroma eventually overshadow the sickly fruitiness. Palate
entry is totally about sugar and super-sweetness and little else;
midpalate taste can do nothing but be über-sweet because
of the over-riding presence of refined sugar. Ends up as cruelly
sweet and teeth-jarring as the entry. If there was fruit flavoring
injected, it long ago succumbed to the sugar concentration. Perhaps
Ecuadorians like their liqueurs super-sweet, that's fine. Too
much for me. Genuinely god-awful.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Not Recommended
Feeney's Irish Cream Liqueur (Ireland; Sazerac Co., New
Orleans, LA); 17% abv, $15.
Deep beige/khaki brown appearance. Smells as nutty as it does
creamy out of the box and it isn't sweet in the least; as with
virtually all cream liqueurs additional air contact does nothing
to alter the aroma. Palate entry is snappy, tangy, nutty, and
almost beany; midpalate features the nut-focused flavor and is
anything but sweet as a result. Finishes well, medium sweet,
medium creamy, and, you guessed it, nut-like. Pleasant and well-made.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Recommended
Kahlua Hazelnut Liqueur (Mexico; Pernod Ricard USA, Purchase,
NY); 20% abv, $21.
Dark mahogany color, with red core highlights. Right out of the
gate, the aroma has hazelnut plastered all over it, with the
barest hints of coffee bean in the background; additional time
in the glass allows for a complementary wave of peanut butter
scent to mingle with the hazelnut and coffee bean aromas. Palate
entry is smooth as satin, concentrated, creamy, and genuinely
nutty; midpalate flavor profile builds on the entry tastes, but
with a deeper and more satisfying coffee bean depth. Ends on
a bittersweet note of medium strength.
Spirit Journal Rating 2008:
Recommended
 Kahlua French
Vanilla Liqueur (Mexico; Pernod Ricard USA, Purchase, NY); 20%
abv, $21.
Medium mahogany/old brown sherry color. Enticing fragrances
of vanilla bean and vanilla extract waft from the sampling glass;
second passes pick up faint traces of coffee bitterness, but
the over-riding aromatic aspect is vanilla bean. Palate entry
dazzles with a keen, focused bittersweet core flavor rather than
an abundance of sugary liqueur sweetness; midpalate goes for
broke with the vanilla bean/coffee bean bitterness and, as such,
the taste profile succeeds in spades. Concludes long, bittersweet,
beany, and lip-smacking. Integrated and luscious.
Spirit Journal Rating 2008:
Highly
Recommended
Kahlua Mocha Liqueur (Mexico; Pernod Ricard USA, Purchase,
NY); 20% abv, $21.
Medium deep caramel/burnt russet color. In the initial nosing
passes, the mocha aspect is like cotton candy and cocoa butter
and is more bittersweet than sweet; smells a bit woolly/cottony/fabric-like
in the later sniffs. Palate entry features a stunningly rich
and voluptuous texture that supports the dark chocolate/chocolate
cake frosting flavor; the midpalate stage highlights the cocoa/coffee
marriage in the most delightful manner that cradles the taste
buds in creamy texture. Finishes long, appropriately bittersweet,
chocolate-y, and luscious. Delivers the goods in style.
Spirit Journal Rating 2008:
Highly
Recommended
Metaxa Private Reserve Greek Specialty Liqueur (Greece;
Remy Cointreau USA, New York, NY); 40% abv, $100.
Old brown sherry/old brandy/bronze/dark copper color; flawless
purity. Right up front it smells of brown butter and cooking
oil, with hardly any trace left of fruit or herbs; another seven
minutes of exposure to air bring into play a toastiness that's
one-part cigar tobacco and one-part buttered popcorn. Palate
entry is fudge-like and intense in its sweetness and woodiness;
midpalate introduces some wood resin to counter the sweetness.
Finishes toasty, bittersweet, caramel-like, and woody.
Spirit Journal Rating 2008:
Recommended
 Pimm's No.
1 (Great Britain; Diageo NA, Norwalk, CT); 25% abv, $18.
A quintessential aperitif and mixer. Redcurrant color; superb
clarity. First sniffs are greeted with herbal/earthy smells of
grass, wet soil, wet sidewalk pavement, dried flowers, and dried
red fruits; additional exposure to air adds bits of citrus rind,
orange zest, and orange blossom. Palate entry is sweet/sour,
even a touch bitter, yet is refreshing and juicy; midpalate remains
juicy with red fruits, but is also minerally, focused, and delightfully
savory and citrusy. Finishes intensely fruity and stone-like,
yet composed and elegant. Make a classic Pimm's Cup cocktail
by mixing 2 ounces of Pimm's No. 1 with 3 ounces of good ginger
ale, like that from Fever-Tree, and adding a cucumber slice and
garnishing with a lemon wheel.
Spirit Journal Rating 2008:
Highly
Recommended
Plymouth Sloe Gin (England; Absolut Spirits Co., New York,
NY); 26% abv, $35.
At present, due to limited quantities, Plymouth Sloe Gin is primarily
available on-premise only. Ruby/redcurrant color; impeccable
clarity. Initial sniffs pick up lovely red berry fruit fragrances,
especially red currant, sloes, and red plums, along with an herbal
kick; aeration of another seven minutes brings out a viny, bramble
aspect that complements the bitter ripeness of the sloes. Palate
entry is sweet/sour, intensely fruity, but not cloying or syrupy;
the midpalate highlights the bitter nature of the ripe sloe berries
perfectly and is succulent and fresh. Concludes medium-long,
viny/brambly, and very seductive. The quintessential Sloe Gin.
Spirit Journal Rating 2008:
Highest Recommendation
 The Spirit
of Liberty Cream Liqueur (USA; CMSC Spirits Group, Morganville,
NJ); 18% abv, $33.
Editor's sneering note: The sheer absurdity of the bottle being in the shape
of a frosty green Statue of Liberty alone makes it worth getting
for the derisive hoots and howls of your friends. Even more absurd,
to get the bottle open you have to wrestle the Statue off. I
kept thinking that some lunatic Libertarian was going to burst
into my office, guns blazing, accusing me of desecrating the
StatofLib. Geeez. "Don't shoot me!! I'm just a spirits critic!!"
Anyhoo…
Milky beige/wet sand appearance.
Smells of cream and sugar and ripe fruit in the first inhalations
after the pour; remains creamy and sweet well into the latter
stages of sniffing following aeration. Palate entry is nicely
fruity and creamy, with level sweetness; midpalate stage adds
a pleasant spiciness to the dairy and fruitiness and, you know,
it actually works. The recommendably decent character of the
liquid and the wackiness of the bottle make it worth the price.
Spirit Journal Rating 2008:
Recommended
© F. Paul
Pacult
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