Clear as water, this blanche made from a grape base shows it from the first sniff of the open bottle. Like all the absinthes from Matter-Luginbühl, it's best to open and re-cork it for a week before fully enjoying its flavours.

The louche is the best I've seen in a blanche so far, with swirling milky trails that dance around the glass as the drink turns to a translucent alabaster. The transition is smooth but not entirely seamless and I'm only docking the louche rating because the final drink is missing that fabled pearlescent tone.

Caressing the tongue lightly, anise, fennel and wormwood are very well balanced and the mouth feel is just creamy enough to remain refreshing. When taken with sugar it has a lovely caramel note but is best with a 4:1 ratio of water. The taste doesn't linger for very long and is a tad on the dry side, but this makes the high alcohol percentage almost unnoticeable.

More complex than Kübler but just as refreshing, not as warm and rounded as La Ptite Douce but not far behind, Duplais Blanche is a perfect match for those who like their blanches sweet and dry.

Appearance: Crystal clear except for the slightest hint of yellow.

Louche: Slightly on the thick side and definitely monotone. Not much to say about the louche really.

Aroma: Butter? Anise and fennel dominate with a citrusy edge. A floral wormwood seems shy and not much else seems to be going on here.

Flavor: Oily texture and star anise are the first impressions. There's a flavor that reminds me of tea as well. The characteristic chalky texture of Matter absinthes is noted as well.

Finish: Wormwood and warm but rough spice tones appear quick but recede to a mirror of the flavor. The finish is average in length.

Overall: A drinkable blanche but nothing I would go out of my way for.