The blanche is not quite clear in colour; it has a slight cream or yellow tint. In addition it has a lot of floaties. Why would a blanche have sediment?

The aroma before water is wormwood-heavy with a good bit of alcoholic heat. Slight caramel aroma.

Louche is at full thickness at 1:1, and becomes almost opaque. A spoon in the glass is barely visible. Has a very slight yellow tint but is otherwise very attractive.

After water the aroma is softer and much more balanced. Anise and fennel have come forward but wormwood remains dominant. Smells sweet and floral with slight mintiness.

Flavour is a minty wormwood blast and is shockingly sweet without sugar with almost no bitterness to speak of. The anise is of excellent quality and stands high without dominating. In music engineering terms, both herbs are very high in the mix. The caramel aroma doesn't translate to the flavour. It is refreshing and delicious but beyond some citrus and earth notes, it's not terribly complex.

The mouth-feel is fairly crisp with a very slight oiliness. Not too much numbing. The finish is long and earthy, almost nutty.

Definitely a fine, spring or summer afternoon, session absinthe.

Color
Unlouched, clear with a slight tinge of gold/bronze. It doesn't look tainted, rather a quite high-class tint. Otherwise perfectly clear and free of sediment. Louched, milky white with a slight bronze undertone. Glints of gold and grey/violet at the edges give the final color some three dimensionality. Nicely vibrant, and although not textbook color, very attractive.

Louche
Nice thick oily looking trails and good layering immediately. Nice refractions, especially in a bubble glass. Cloudiness builds quickly on the bottom and it all starts to go opaque by 1/1. While it's going, it is fun to watch. The final "weight" of the louche is just right. Typical of Mr. Breaux's work in this area.

Aroma
Now here's a new twist for me in a blanche. Instead of the usual up-front presence of anise and fennel, this is very wormwood forward. Herbal, floral, very alpiney. Anise and fennel are there in good support, but there's no doubt that this is a wormwood drink. Show this to n00bs to illustrate alpine. The sense of flowers here is just amazing. Not just bright like a typical La Bleu. More tan and woody tones. The grape base is evident.

Flavor
Mouthfeel is nice and creamy. Wormwood, fennel up front. Anise is there, but secondary. Lots of dusty tan flavors... hay, straw, florals, chamomile. The anise makes itself known in the form of a prickliness on the palate, the intensity of which is dependent on dilution. A slightly earthy underpinning, probably the grape base, talking again.

Finish
A nice fade from all of the nose and palate impressions. Really easy "pull" and drying on the palate and tongue. There's a lingering sweetness from the anise and fennel that balances this nicely.

Overall
Well now, this is certainly a blanche of a different color. I really like this. It's more like a winter blanche. This is not frail, at all. There's lots of stuffing to this one. It's sophisticated, serious, and settled. Very grown up. It needs water, and at least 4/1, in my opinion. This drink is all about the wormwood and florals, so that dilution where the prickle of the anise settles down, is the perfect point. I wouldn't want to fight its nature by under watering it.

2/11/10 Revisit - Just to make sure I am certain how I feel about this, I have also louched up short doses of two others of my favorite blanches, to serve as a comparison. And interestingly, what I find is that I really like all three, but the Blanchette seems to combine the best aspects of the others. In aromatics and flavor, this really has it all. From base to top notes, there is a clarity, definition, delineation, and consistent character that makes this first class. Most of my original comments remain the same with the exception of added comments in "Louche" and "Aroma". Score changes have been made to "Color" and to "Aroma" to reflect my current observations. Although I personally do not find the color off-putting, I realize now that with the tint mentioned, it does not deserve a 4.

Changes to my initial scoring are:
Color - Changed from 4 to 3.
Aroma - Changed from 4 to 5.
Overall Rating - Remains the same at 4.2.

Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 3/1, 4/1, and 5/1 and no sugar.

Blanchette 12/17/08, 1/10/09, 2/15/09, 2/11/10
All evaluations had consistent notes

Color: Unlike some bottles that I've seen with a yellow tinge to them, this bottle was clear and bright with no visible sediment.

Louche: Very well formed and thick. Deep and milky opalescence with just a hint of blueish hue. Very inviting.

Aroma: Nice, refreshing alpine aroma. The wormwood comes out well, and the anise plays a great supporting role.

Flavor: At first sip, the wormwood is prominant with vegetal undertones. The anise is well balanced and not cloying. Overall, the blending of the herbs creates a very nice marriage of sweetness and bitterness.

Finish: Clean and crisp with an enjoyable lingering taste of wormwood.

Overall: This is a very nice blanche. Whenever I am in the mood for a blanche, this is the first one I think of.