I could only rate this absinthe in relation to my prior experiences with Lucid and Kubler. In that regard I will be comparing Sirene to Lucid, the only other verte I've tried, and on this basis sirene is surely a unique absinthe. It took me three glasses to find the right opinions to express, as this is my first absinthe review, and only when I had a glass of Kubler and Lucid in between my 2nd and 3rd glasses of Sirene did I find myself able to work up a review.



Aroma Before Louche



The aroma before louche is subtle yet sweet, and very intriguing. It hints at citrus, and perhaps mint. I find it a more "stable" armoma than Lucid. More "naturally herbal".



Color before Louche



I first thought of olive oil as I settled into my glass. I noticed it seemed thicker than Lucid. From seeing pictures of other absinthes, I was please to see it seemed like it had more depth and character. But it isn’t necessarily pure green as much as a yellow-brown tinted green.



The Louche



As the first drop plopped, a wonderfully enticing aroma of grassy-citrus filled the room. The louche itself was very pretty, starting slow and then almost cascading in on itself to a very consistent yellowish-jade. The best characteristic of this absinthe is the aroma coming off the louche. It is very enticing. As good as it did smell though, I detected no anise or fennel. It was a purely new absinthe aroma for me. I also enjoyed how it stayed "green" after the louche was complete. As Lucid louches almost completely white, I was overjoyed to find myself holding a glass of, what to me, seemed to look like a traditional absinthe post-louche.



Flavor



I did not use sugar for my first taste—a plan I will stick to with all my 1st-tastings—and after that 1st tasting I don’t know if this actually tastes like absinthe. It is very plain IMO. Not bad tasting, just nothing really jumps out at me. There is a lot of that grassy-taste I anticipated due to the aroma, but I find that it doesn’t work as wonderfully on my tongue as it did in my nostrils. Not much anise, or fennel, or wormwood for that matter. I have to say that I find this absinthe rather weak in flavor, at least without sugar.



With sugar however, it becomes a totally different absinthe. Those grassy, citrus notes become very entertaining. You can almost taste more of the fennel, as well as a more lingering wormwood tongue-grasp. I think this absinthe totally changed with sugar. Before the white cube I would have totally washed this absinthe away, but with sugar, and a few relaxed sips, I really enjoy it. In light of this I simply cannot tell if this is a weakness of the absinthe, or simply a quirk of my pallet.



Overall



As my 3rd absinthe, I don't think I'm quite qualified to make a definitive judgment about Sirene. I can only hope to convey my modest first impressions. I do like Sirene, However I find that it has totally changed my opinion of absinthe. Is this more traditional, more "cutting edge"? I just don't know. I do like it, although I cannot drink it without sugar. I think that the characteristics of grass-citrus do overpower any traces of fennel, anise, or wormwood, and for that I have to look at it with concern. With that said, I do enjoy Sirene. I'm just not sure, after absorbing a lot of absinthe knowledge, that this would pass the test of a traditional absinthe.