I bought a 4 oz sample of the first release of the Sirène through the generosity of Poor. This is the third glass I've had from my sample, diluted at 4:1 without sugar. The synopsis is that Sirène is a very well crafted absinthe very much in the traditional manner with the lead role played by various citrus notes backed up with traditional herbs. It's a very drinkable absinthe.



The color before water seems a little darker than expected and a bit towards the yellow end of the spectrum. It's totally natural, nothing artificial about it at all. There's some brown notes (not the amber of feuille mort) that make the color a little less pleasant than it could be. The color after water seems lighter than it would otherwise be given where it starts. So it ends up with a nice pale white-green color.



The louche is fine. It could be a bit thicker and have more interesting appearance. But I'm being picky.



The aroma is dominated by the citrus notes. I don't find much in the way of coloring herb aroma, or it's just subsumed under the dominant aroma. There's nothing unpleasant, not sign of funk or anything like that. Very clean. I can't give it a 4 as it seems so dominant in one direction.



The flavor, is like the aroma dominated by the citrus. But there's much more going on here. There's the orange and lemon flavors with hints of grapefruit, anise and fennel sweetness, with balm and mint. Some wormwood is there as well. Being clean and light, it's a very refreshing and very easily drinkable absinthe. The flavor is the best part of this absinthe, and that's the way it should be.



The finish is nice and clean, leaves a bit a numbing on the tongue, but because the citrus dominates to my taste it's less interesting than it could be.



I don't see this as an "almost perfect" absinthe, so I can't give it a 4. But it's beyond the mere "acceptable, shows promise" of a 3. Personally I'd rate it 3.5. It's quite good and worth considering. I like it.