L'Enjôleuse vieillie en fût de chêne (Barrel Aged) - Reviewed by Experts and Consumers at The Wormwood Society
Product Details
Available in USA?
Style/Color
Degrees ABV (% alcohol)
Country of Origin
Distillery
Wormwood Society Editor Comments
This is a new edition of L'Enjelouse that has been aged in barrels for one year before being bottled.
Editor reviews
Improvement through aging.
Overall rating
4.3
Appearance
4.0
Louche
5.0
Aroma
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
4.0
Finish
4.0
Overall
4.0
As with the aged Perroquet I'm going to review this as a comparison to the original.
The barrel-aged absinthe looks essentially the same as the unaged spirit. It is now very cognac-like, but also has a character that reminds me of Wild Turkey American Honey liqueur. Very little herbal aroma neat. The louche is dentical to the original.
With water it's sweeter than the original with nutmeg-like notes. Orange peel. The herbs are mellower and more blended while the fruitiness is enhanced.
The flavour is much more balanced than the unaged spirit. Powdery and mellow. Less lemon, more leafiness. I think I can taste the oak but it's very subtle. Even though it smells sweeter it tastes dryer.
The finish is very similar to the original, but with the fruity character coming out toward the end rather than the beginning.
I really feel like the aging in oak has improved this one.
The barrel-aged absinthe looks essentially the same as the unaged spirit. It is now very cognac-like, but also has a character that reminds me of Wild Turkey American Honey liqueur. Very little herbal aroma neat. The louche is dentical to the original.
With water it's sweeter than the original with nutmeg-like notes. Orange peel. The herbs are mellower and more blended while the fruitiness is enhanced.
The flavour is much more balanced than the unaged spirit. Powdery and mellow. Less lemon, more leafiness. I think I can taste the oak but it's very subtle. Even though it smells sweeter it tastes dryer.
The finish is very similar to the original, but with the fruity character coming out toward the end rather than the beginning.
I really feel like the aging in oak has improved this one.
A
Needs some time in the bottle; will be a stunner
(Updated: January 12, 2011)
Overall rating
3.9
Appearance
4.0
Louche
4.0
Aroma
4.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
4.0
Finish
3.0
Overall
4.0
Color: Just a shade darker than the original. Quite inviting.
Louche: Looks pretty much the same as the original, not surprisingly. Very attractive. The final product is much lighter than one might expect.
Aroma: Spicy and woody, but herbal and sweet at the same time.
Flavor: The wormwood gets spicier, but the anise is toned down a bit, compared to the original. Everything gets an added layer of 'bourbony' woodiness.
Finish: The wood is a bit intense in the finish, but it's still enjoyable.
Overall: I think it needs a bit of time to rest in the bottle to let some things round out. I'll give it a few months and try it again. My guess is that it's going to be much improved, although it's still good now.
Louche: Looks pretty much the same as the original, not surprisingly. Very attractive. The final product is much lighter than one might expect.
Aroma: Spicy and woody, but herbal and sweet at the same time.
Flavor: The wormwood gets spicier, but the anise is toned down a bit, compared to the original. Everything gets an added layer of 'bourbony' woodiness.
Finish: The wood is a bit intense in the finish, but it's still enjoyable.
Overall: I think it needs a bit of time to rest in the bottle to let some things round out. I'll give it a few months and try it again. My guess is that it's going to be much improved, although it's still good now.
User reviews
2 reviews
Overall rating
3.0
Appearance
3.3(2)
Louche
3.3(2)
Aroma
3.8(2)
Flavor / Mouthfeel
2.5(2)
Finish
2.0(2)
Overall
3.0(2)
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Why?
Overall rating
2.9
Appearance
3.5
Louche
3.0
Aroma
4.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
2.0
Finish
1.0
Overall
3.0
Note: I did this as a before/after with the non-barrel-aged L'Enjôleuse, so may be more comparative than standalone.
Appearance: There isn't a noticeable difference in appearance from the barrel-aging, and it still appears to be a deep fuille morte.
Louche: Yellow-green and overly creamy, but it has some glowing rust and amber reflections that were certainly not present before.
Aroma: There's a bit of pie spice and pleasantness, and it's not overwhelmingly anisey, but it still has some substantial camphor notes punching through.
Flavor/Mouthfeel: To me, this tasted extremely soapy. It had very sour, mentholated flavors and a somewhat dusty taste...still a big anise presence. It certainly FEELS like there's some vanilla flavors present, but it's hard to detect the flavor too well.
Finish: There are some bad throat sensations to go with the juicy/mouthwatering and sour sensations...not in a pleasant way. It's a bit more of a salival assault. There is some hint of oak here, but not much.
Overall: Again, I'm not quite sure why this absinthe is this way...barrel-aging would have me hope for smoothness and some vanilla notes, but this is just more mentholated and harshness.
Appearance: There isn't a noticeable difference in appearance from the barrel-aging, and it still appears to be a deep fuille morte.
Louche: Yellow-green and overly creamy, but it has some glowing rust and amber reflections that were certainly not present before.
Aroma: There's a bit of pie spice and pleasantness, and it's not overwhelmingly anisey, but it still has some substantial camphor notes punching through.
Flavor/Mouthfeel: To me, this tasted extremely soapy. It had very sour, mentholated flavors and a somewhat dusty taste...still a big anise presence. It certainly FEELS like there's some vanilla flavors present, but it's hard to detect the flavor too well.
Finish: There are some bad throat sensations to go with the juicy/mouthwatering and sour sensations...not in a pleasant way. It's a bit more of a salival assault. There is some hint of oak here, but not much.
Overall: Again, I'm not quite sure why this absinthe is this way...barrel-aging would have me hope for smoothness and some vanilla notes, but this is just more mentholated and harshness.
A
Some polish
Overall rating
3.2
Appearance
3.0
Louche
3.5
Aroma
3.5
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.0
Finish
3.0
Overall
3.0
Appearance: A clear dark and heavy yellow. Very topaz and a bit dead leaved.
Louche: Thick and milky while retaining lots of color but surprisingly hued. Not opaque but definitely thicker than perfect.
Aroma: Coriander, and as expected vanilla jump out at me first. Star anise and an upfront wormwood play a bit with a mild citrus note. Menthol tone is in the background.
Flavor: As expected this is strong and herbaceous. Star anise is heavy with coriander spikes. The vanilla smoothness plays a nice role but it's not as smooth as one would expect. Thankfully the mentholated tone is further in the background.
Finish: Vanilla hits up-front and a decent sweetness shows up that is spiked with the spice tone. There is an interesting astringency on the side of my tongue as well as a mentholated background note.
Overall: While the barrel aging seems to have improved this one it still suffers the flaws of what was put into the barrel. A few of the defects have been aged out but not completely. Maybe give it another year in the barrel?
Louche: Thick and milky while retaining lots of color but surprisingly hued. Not opaque but definitely thicker than perfect.
Aroma: Coriander, and as expected vanilla jump out at me first. Star anise and an upfront wormwood play a bit with a mild citrus note. Menthol tone is in the background.
Flavor: As expected this is strong and herbaceous. Star anise is heavy with coriander spikes. The vanilla smoothness plays a nice role but it's not as smooth as one would expect. Thankfully the mentholated tone is further in the background.
Finish: Vanilla hits up-front and a decent sweetness shows up that is spiked with the spice tone. There is an interesting astringency on the side of my tongue as well as a mentholated background note.
Overall: While the barrel aging seems to have improved this one it still suffers the flaws of what was put into the barrel. A few of the defects have been aged out but not completely. Maybe give it another year in the barrel?
E