Pernod aux extraits de plantes d'absinthe - Reviewed by Experts and Consumers at The Wormwood Society

 
2.5 (2)
 
1.7 (9)
0

User reviews

9 reviews
5 stars
 
0%
4 stars
 
0%
 
44%
 
11%
 
44%
Overall rating
 
1.7
Appearance
 
2.0(9)
Louche
 
2.2(9)
Aroma
 
1.3(9)
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
1.4(9)
Finish
 
1.5(9)
Overall
 
1.6(9)
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Ordering
Senator you’re no Pernod Fils!
(Updated: May 03, 2013)
Overall rating
 
2.1
Appearance
 
3.0
Louche
 
3.0
Aroma
 
2.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
1.5
Finish
 
1.5
Overall
 
1.5
-Color-
Though I know it’s artificially colored, this is one of the best artificial colors I’ve seen; the mid-peridot could pass for some of the more vivid naturally colored vertes; the latest range of offerings from Emile Pernot comes to mind. Retains its natural look after water; I’d give most artificial colors a 1 or 2, but this one manages a 3.

-Louche-
Louche starts out nice, but then is over a bit too quickly, as one would expect from a product with a high amount of star anise oil. Louched opacity on the thick side, but not any worse than some well made green anise based brands.

-Aroma-
Before Water: Black jelly bean and alcohol heat.

After Water: Strong black jelly bean aroma with a little weird woody medicinal nuance. Nothing downright offensive so I guess it gets a 2.

-Flavor and Mouthfeel-
Oh dear. Sickly sweet light licorice flavor with some minor spice and weird plastic notes. I was expecting an all-out star anise saturation a la Grande Absente but the sickly and weird flavors make this a bit worse. Blunt bitterness and maybe a little mint from the wormwood. While I’ve tasted a few good vertes with the same bitterness power, quality A.a. when properly handled will have a much greater range than this; in addition, the wormwood flavor that IS here does not sync with the rest of the notes. Not much body to speak of one way or another.

-Finish-
Blunt, dry bitterness from the A. a. with a bit of spice. The receding flavors are a relief rather than a savory send off.

-Overall-
As discussed many times before on the serious absinthe forums, it’s a real pity that this beverage carries the Pernod Absinthe name. While it technically qualifies as real absinthe by historical measures (the lowest possible grade of absinthe and cheapest production methods), it has very little to do with the gold standard of all absinthe, pre-ban Pernod Fils. It’s unfortunate, though predictable, to see the Pernod-Ricard megacorporation attempt to link their product to Pernod’s glory days. I’ve been lucky enough to get to know the real thing (1910 Palazzo cache, 1910 Winnetka cache, 1914 Holland “very green” cache, Tarragona c.1940-50 and c. 1950-1960) and Senator you’re no Pernod Fils!

Notes: 3.5:1, no sugar. Got a little better as the glass warmed up, but I ended up sinking the remainder of the glass. Not trying to be a snob, but honestly I found this drink to be unpleasant.
G
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Better Than Lucid, But. ...
Overall rating
 
3.0
Appearance
 
3.0
Louche
 
4.0
Aroma
 
2.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
3.0
Finish
 
3.0
Overall
 
3.0
My review is mostly a comparison with Lucid, since these are the only half-real absinthes available in most all New Jersey liquor stores. I must either travel to NYC or order mail order to get high-quality absinthe here.

Color: The color is a nice bright green, but it's artificial and that fact is reflected in my score.

Louche: Very nice louche, oily trails take time clouding up into an opaque, lime green color. Good show.

Aroma: Hot alcohol aroma from bottle, but anise and lemon balm (?) seem quite apparent. Not unpleasant.

Flavor: I haven't tried it neat, but louched the citrusy flavor is pleasant when compared with Lucid. I taste some wormwood, certainly anise and lemon balm (?).

Finish: Better than Lucid, which seems to insist on using an inferior beet liquor base that causes terrible hangovers. Citrusy notes linger and are quite pleasant. No bad aftertaste but strong alcohol flavor stays on the tongue along with some wormwood flavor. Pleasant "secondary" feeling.

Overall: I hate Lucid, even though I gave it about a "C" for its naturalness. Maybe I'm personally allergic to some of the ingredients of Lucid? I don't know, but Pernod has better flavor and the liquor seems cleaner. I know there are "natural flavors" added and the artificial coloring is obvious to see, but to me it still beats Lucid for flavor, after effect, side effects and secondary "buzz." Need a good sugar cube to cut bitterness. It is over-priced though. For something mass produced, it shouldn't cost more than $4o, unless they're not telling us something we should know about the ingredients. Maybe it's my mood, maybe it's because I just took an allergy pill, but I like this. It deserves at least three points overall.
A
Top 50 Reviewer 8 reviews
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Hard to get past that rubbing alcohol aroma
Overall rating
 
2.9
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
4.0
Aroma
 
2.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
2.0
Finish
 
3.0
Overall
 
3.0
I use a dose of 40ml to 200ml chilled water. Unsweetened for this review.

This has an extremely strong alcohol aroma. I pour into a small graduated measuring glass first to measure the dose, and slowly move my nose over the rim to get a whiff: the alcohol is wincingly strong.

Artificial color is listed on the label, and the color is slightly unnatural but not awfully so, appropriately olive/peridot and nicely clear.

The louche forms slowly with wicked oil trails, where a clear layer forms and holds its clarity until almost half my water is added.

The aroma after louche is much more pleasant, but not "filling the air aromatic" and not complex, primarily anise.

There is significant bitterness in the flavor, which has three primary notes: anise, wormwood and lemon. The finish has a slight peak of anise at the start, which then withers to bitter wormwood and lemon which clings to the tongue leaving a substantial numbness.

A comparison that springs to mind is the Absente pastis with higher octane alcohol. In a comparison with a price point per volume competitor, Lucid, it lacks complexity and body, and the harsh "rubbing alcohol" aroma at the outset is the biggest drawback.

My conclusion is that it is the absinthine analog of Orwell's 1984's 'Victory Gin'.

I had to think about the overall rating, where "3" is interpreted as "acceptable, ahows promise". Clearly this is from a mass producer, so even if they somehow 'tweak' their recipe it seems like it would take a while to show up on ths ehelves. The aroma is clearly unacceptable, whereas color and louche seem very nice, and the flavor has the "traditional elements" represented, although unbalanced and lacking interesting complexity.

But, as American-market-aimed absinthes go, I'd say if you want a verte, see this on the shelf next to Lucid at the same price and they are the only two verte absinthes in the store, buy the Lucid.
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Ho hum.
Overall rating
 
2.5
Appearance
 
2.0
Louche
 
4.0
Aroma
 
2.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
2.0
Finish
 
2.0
Overall
 
3.0
The color is very nice, but it's fake so I'm hard pressed to give it any praise. Resorting to artificial coloring shows a lack of respect and knowledge.

The louche is quite nice, but given the amount of anise in this thing it can hardly come as a surprise. The only downside I saw the artificial coloring sticking around to mess up the opalescence of the final product.

Nothing to comment about the aroma since I can't smell.

The flavor isn't terrible, it just isn't much to write home about either. There is certainly plenty of anise, and ghost of wormwood for a moment, and then: nothing. It's gone faster than I consider respectable, especially for the price they're asking.

Oops, I went right in to the finish while describing the flavor. But the two follow each other so closely it is little surprise. It's easy to drink Pernod quickly as there's little to savor, and perhaps this was their goal. Not a lofty one to be sure.

And yet I can't hate this drink. If it didn't pretend to carry on the Pernod Fils legacy it would be just another unremarkable absinthe that at least was aiming towards a traditional taste. Cut out the food coloring and balance the flavors and who knows?
R
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An Unremarkable Single-Note Beverage
(Updated: December 31, 2008)
Overall rating
 
2.5
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
3.0
Aroma
 
2.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
2.0
Finish
 
2.0
Overall
 
2.0
Bottle first opened August 2007, current review based on December 2008 sample. [edit: bottle actually purchased 2007, not 2008 as originally noted.]

At first pour of the Pernod AEDPDA, the color is so impressively green that confirms the artificial augmentation. It's beautifully clear, however, and presents well. The nose is single-note anise, with a hot alcohol blast that burns the nostrils.

Loucheing at a medium drip (unsugared) produces a beautiful cascade of oil trails, with clouds that build from the bottom of the reservoir and keep a strong dividing line until almost 3:1. The green tinge remains in the fully-louched drink. The aroma is present, if not "room-filling". At least at this point the alcohol heat is tempered.

The first sip presents the anise again, with a touch of wormwood. It's not very tongue-numbing, nor particularly long-finished. It's simply a quick taste and then... little or nothing. Others have noted a touch of lemon on the finish, but I didn't notice it in my sample. Perhaps bottle age or a tweak of the recipe can explain this.

This is, overall, an unimpressive beverage, not one I'd share with a friend or a newbie. Compared with other absinthes currently available on American shelves, it comes up short. Too hot, too one-dimensional, too expensive for what you get.
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