Review Detail
3.6 3 0.5
Traditional Absinthe
Rouge with a Touch of Rough
Overall rating
3.8
Appearance
4.5
Louche
3.0
Aroma
4.5
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.5
Finish
4.0
Overall
3.5
Appearance: This rouge is a crystal clear and stunning ruby red. There's a slight pink when held to direct light indicating natural hibiscus coloration. It's deep and strong yet incredibly light on the eyes.
Louche: Holy thicksauce! This resembles strawberry milk. There's a nice blue hue at the meniscus but almost zero transparency.
Aroma: Wormwood! For something this red it is wonderful to smell wormwood right up front. There are the floral and citrus tartness one would expect but they appear to be in a nice balance. I'd swear to a small amount of rose use as well. Star anise is there but in the background.
Flavor: An amazing, wonderful, gorgeous, and heavenly wormwood and hibiscus lead gets quickly swept under the rug by star anise. There's a tart and creamy texture which is very nice. I just wish I could've gotten more of that lead flavor before the star anise showed up to be a party pooper.
Finish: The floral notes show up again, welcome back! The aromatics lead towards other floral and citrus notes as well. A peppery note comes mid-finish to provide a beautiful contrast and astringency. Another nice finish from Adnams.
Overall: Much like their verte offering there's a lot of wonderful going on covered up with some design flaws. Reviews like this are frustrating because there's quality oozing here but I can't in any sort of conscience ignore the flaws either. Once again, if there are recipe modifications in future batches then I can't wait to try them. The initial second or so of flavor puts some of the more hidden “artisan” rouges to the test and I'd love to see that expressed more.
Louche: Holy thicksauce! This resembles strawberry milk. There's a nice blue hue at the meniscus but almost zero transparency.
Aroma: Wormwood! For something this red it is wonderful to smell wormwood right up front. There are the floral and citrus tartness one would expect but they appear to be in a nice balance. I'd swear to a small amount of rose use as well. Star anise is there but in the background.
Flavor: An amazing, wonderful, gorgeous, and heavenly wormwood and hibiscus lead gets quickly swept under the rug by star anise. There's a tart and creamy texture which is very nice. I just wish I could've gotten more of that lead flavor before the star anise showed up to be a party pooper.
Finish: The floral notes show up again, welcome back! The aromatics lead towards other floral and citrus notes as well. A peppery note comes mid-finish to provide a beautiful contrast and astringency. Another nice finish from Adnams.
Overall: Much like their verte offering there's a lot of wonderful going on covered up with some design flaws. Reviews like this are frustrating because there's quality oozing here but I can't in any sort of conscience ignore the flaws either. Once again, if there are recipe modifications in future batches then I can't wait to try them. The initial second or so of flavor puts some of the more hidden “artisan” rouges to the test and I'd love to see that expressed more.
E
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