Mohawk Absinthe Vintage US absinthe - Reviewed by Experts and Consumers at The Wormwood Society

 
3.7 (3)
 
1.0 (21)
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Overall rating
 
3.7
 
3.5(3)
 
4.0(3)
 
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Rocking the Mohawk
Overall rating
 
3.4
Appearance
 
3.5
Louche
 
4.0
Aroma
 
4.5
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
2.5
Finish
 
2.5
Overall
 
3.0
Appearance: Golden hues with hints of green. Attractive.

Louche: Slightly thin, but appropriate.

Aroma: Floral and sweet with hints of underlying wormwood bitterness.

Flavor: Lights of anise. But the wormwood is very assertive. Drying and astringent. Crisp and bracing.

Finish: The wormwood lingers a bit longer than usual and overpowers the more delicate flavors and nuances.

Overall: an interesting look into what might have been available on US shelves alongside the imports. Age has surely helped this one to mellow out. Thanks to Joe Legate for allowing me to sample this interesting treat!
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The US's very own pre-ban.
(Updated: June 08, 2011)
Overall rating
 
3.9
Appearance
 
3.0
Louche
 
4.0
Aroma
 
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
4.0
Finish
 
3.0
Overall
 
4.0
The absinthe pours lucent gold with a hint of green. There's some sediment, but it's otherwise clear. It has a wormwood-forward aroma, very floral. Citrus, mint, and oak notes. Quite sweet-smelling.

The louche is a bit on the thin side, but more colourful than expected, similar to uranium glass. With water it's still wormwood dominated. Other than some revealed powderiness it's not terribly different than before water, however nothing is lost. It's a rich, full aroma.

Sipping it, the wormwood is upfront and intense with a good bit of bitterness, but the anise is very sweet. Raw mint. An in-your-face, not terribly balanced flavour. Strongly floral, but also earthy and woodsy. Crisp and bright. The finish is long but mostly dominated by wormwood. A few hints of other flavours try to emerge but they're pretty much shouted down.

It's an honour to get to try this rare piece of US absinthe history. I personally love unbalanced, wormwood-forward absinthes, so although this may not meet what we think of as ideal it's exactly my sort of drink. I actually would not even guess it was pre-ban absinthe as it has the explosive character of the recently bottled instead of the mellowness and sophistication of age.
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A taste of Pre-Ban America
Overall rating
 
3.9
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
4.0
Aroma
 
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
3.0
Finish
 
3.0
Overall
 
4.0
It is quite good, not 1914 Cache good but still very tasty. Once louched, the aroma was pleasantly floral. The mouth feel was perfectly lovely. The taste had ample anise and fennel if somewhat light and a strong Wormwood after-taste that was more than a little out of balance. The Wormwood hung on long after the other herbs faded away, leaving a sharp astringency.



It doesn't hold a candle to Marteau or Pacifique Jura and it isn't as good as the Jades or the Duplais. However, there is no denying what 90+ years of age will do for an absinthe. It has a mellowness that I've yet to taste in any modern absinthe and I'm left wondering if this is what might happen to Lasala or Deva, given time. And if that's true, what indeed might happen to Marteau, Pacifique and all the others?



There are many missing pieces of the American absinthe puzzle but thanks to our absinthe friend Chris, at least one piece has been salvaged.
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