Tenneyson Absinthe Royale - Reviewed by Experts and Consumers at The Wormwood Society
Product Details
Available in USA?
Style/Color
Degrees ABV (% alcohol)
Year of Make (if known)
Country of Origin
Distillery
Website
Editor reviews
Redefining Limits... Has Its Limits
(Updated: July 04, 2012)
Overall rating
3.3
Appearance
3.0
Louche
4.0
Aroma
4.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.0
Finish
3.0
Overall
3.0
Color
Unlouched, a significant gold tint, about 1 shade lighter than my early bottle of Blanchette, but somehow not quite as interesting. Louched, chalky greyish white with a gold undertone. Some violet-pewter notes try to peek out at the edges.
Louche
The right weight, however, very fast. Fully louched by 1:1. I can see it trying to be opalescent, but the tint interferes. The result is somewhat chalky and flat, with a general "dirty water" look under all but the brightest light. A struggle with score here. Ultimately not a 3, so a "soft" 4.
Aroma
Nice, interesting. Clearly gin influenced absinthe, not absinthe influenced gin. Even neat, it is clearly identifiable as absinthe. The juniper and wormwood play nicely together along with the usual blanche suspects, but are backed by some rooty, funky undertones. I suspect it is the beet base talking, as it reminds me of the base in Lucid. Any more forward, and I would consider it a serious fault. The nose is absolutely the highpoint of this absinthe for me, and it shows where this idea could go.
Flavor
Big, round, weighty, and oily impression on the attack. On the mid-palate, is that aggressive prickly spiciness that only star anise can deliver. It tempts me to add more water, but at 3.5:1, I'm already clearly in the sweet spot for this abv. Otherwise, nice traditional elements plus the piney, mulberry influences of the juniper. The beet base continues to show on the palate. Other than the oily mouthfeel and "star", some nice ideas that might be very good with a little tweaking and refinement.
Finish
Prickly, powdery, astringent, and drying. Only the lingering mouth-coating oiliness keeps it from being harsh. As it wears on, the juniper shows, but with more time it becomes all star anise, and that "pink mint" thing. Not very clean. It makes me want to drink something else to cleanse my palate.
Overall
Well, it's a great idea, definitely heading in the right direction. There are some things about this that get me excited. However, it's a little rustic in its execution, and disjointed in its presentation, although not altogether bad. My scoring puts it in the range that I would consider "mid-market". If I were calling the shots on this one, I would say get a cleaner base, loose a lot of the star anise, and stay out of the tails. Also, I usually do not comment on packaging, but If one is going to employ such a strong, masculine geometry as this bottle has, great care should be exercised to make sure the label is affixed dead straight and level. A degree or two off (as on my bottle) greatly diminishes the effect.
I really want to like this absinthe. My hope is that with some future refinement, Tenneyson will become one of those products that successfully helps redefine the limits of what absinthe can be.
Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 3:1, 3.5:1 and no sugar.
Tenneyson Absinthe Royale 5/07/11, 5/14/11, 5/28/11.
All evaluations had consistent notes.
Unlouched, a significant gold tint, about 1 shade lighter than my early bottle of Blanchette, but somehow not quite as interesting. Louched, chalky greyish white with a gold undertone. Some violet-pewter notes try to peek out at the edges.
Louche
The right weight, however, very fast. Fully louched by 1:1. I can see it trying to be opalescent, but the tint interferes. The result is somewhat chalky and flat, with a general "dirty water" look under all but the brightest light. A struggle with score here. Ultimately not a 3, so a "soft" 4.
Aroma
Nice, interesting. Clearly gin influenced absinthe, not absinthe influenced gin. Even neat, it is clearly identifiable as absinthe. The juniper and wormwood play nicely together along with the usual blanche suspects, but are backed by some rooty, funky undertones. I suspect it is the beet base talking, as it reminds me of the base in Lucid. Any more forward, and I would consider it a serious fault. The nose is absolutely the highpoint of this absinthe for me, and it shows where this idea could go.
Flavor
Big, round, weighty, and oily impression on the attack. On the mid-palate, is that aggressive prickly spiciness that only star anise can deliver. It tempts me to add more water, but at 3.5:1, I'm already clearly in the sweet spot for this abv. Otherwise, nice traditional elements plus the piney, mulberry influences of the juniper. The beet base continues to show on the palate. Other than the oily mouthfeel and "star", some nice ideas that might be very good with a little tweaking and refinement.
Finish
Prickly, powdery, astringent, and drying. Only the lingering mouth-coating oiliness keeps it from being harsh. As it wears on, the juniper shows, but with more time it becomes all star anise, and that "pink mint" thing. Not very clean. It makes me want to drink something else to cleanse my palate.
Overall
Well, it's a great idea, definitely heading in the right direction. There are some things about this that get me excited. However, it's a little rustic in its execution, and disjointed in its presentation, although not altogether bad. My scoring puts it in the range that I would consider "mid-market". If I were calling the shots on this one, I would say get a cleaner base, loose a lot of the star anise, and stay out of the tails. Also, I usually do not comment on packaging, but If one is going to employ such a strong, masculine geometry as this bottle has, great care should be exercised to make sure the label is affixed dead straight and level. A degree or two off (as on my bottle) greatly diminishes the effect.
I really want to like this absinthe. My hope is that with some future refinement, Tenneyson will become one of those products that successfully helps redefine the limits of what absinthe can be.
Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 3:1, 3.5:1 and no sugar.
Tenneyson Absinthe Royale 5/07/11, 5/14/11, 5/28/11.
All evaluations had consistent notes.
M
Intruiguing stuff
Overall rating
3.8
Appearance
3.0
Louche
4.0
Aroma
4.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
4.0
Finish
4.0
Overall
4.0
Color: A bit of a yellowish tinge, but not unattractive.
Louche: Very quick to form but ends in a nice opalescent final product.
Aroma: Earthy and piney with underlying sweetness of anise ans the spiciness of wormwood. The juniper stands out, but it's attractive and not off-putting.
Flavor: Intruiguing to say the least. A mix of nice spicy wormwood, sweet anise undertones, citrusy and piney. Confusing at first, but then it grows on you.
Finish: The finish is more of hin than absinthe, but that makes for a very refreshing end.
Overall: I see this being a very versatile spirit in bars. Soemthing that would work well in the traditional absinthe service, but also in cocktails that call for absinthe OR gin. Try it as a substitute for both gin and absinthe in a Monkey Gland.
Louche: Very quick to form but ends in a nice opalescent final product.
Aroma: Earthy and piney with underlying sweetness of anise ans the spiciness of wormwood. The juniper stands out, but it's attractive and not off-putting.
Flavor: Intruiguing to say the least. A mix of nice spicy wormwood, sweet anise undertones, citrusy and piney. Confusing at first, but then it grows on you.
Finish: The finish is more of hin than absinthe, but that makes for a very refreshing end.
Overall: I see this being a very versatile spirit in bars. Soemthing that would work well in the traditional absinthe service, but also in cocktails that call for absinthe OR gin. Try it as a substitute for both gin and absinthe in a Monkey Gland.
User reviews
4 reviews
Overall rating
3.5
Appearance
3.8(4)
Louche
3.6(4)
Aroma
3.6(4)
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.3(4)
Finish
3.6(4)
Overall
3.4(4)
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Basic gin + Basic Blanche
Overall rating
3.4
Appearance
4.0
Louche
4.0
Aroma
3.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.0
Finish
3.5
Overall
3.0
Appearance- Very clear, so for a blanche it seems exactly as it's supposed to.
Louche- Really nice. Maybe a bit on the thin side but also a little more complex than other blanches I've seen, with a very slight iridescence.
Aroma- Leans a bit more towards gin to my nose, but almost like a watered down gin with anise added. There's a kind of minty freshness, but overall it's just not very bold or complex and doesn't really grab me in any way.
Flavor- Like the aroma, it just really doesn't do much for me. Fresh and sharp, like a blanche or a gin. When I drink gin it's usually a gin and tonic which gives it a nice crispness, but here you're typically just mixing with water and I think watered down, average quality gin, and average quality blanche is basically the end result. The juniper really seemed to commingle with the anise in a way that made it feel like I was putting effort into finish a glass. The mouth feel was nice and silky smooth, however.
Finish- Mostly I just noticed the anise and juniper, cold water, and some alcohol burn setting in. That's not particularly unpleasant, though.
Overall- Maybe it would be better in some kind of absinthe cocktail but I wasn't adventurous enough to try. When I consider the price of this vs the price of a bottle of tanqueray rangpur or bombay sapphire I really just wonder why I didn't get one of each of those instead. I'm not a huge fan of any blanche I've encountered though, so I'm probably a bit biased. This isn't terrible or even bad but the price point really makes it hard for me to justify and I don't think I would ever buy another bottle. I can see where some people might really like it though. Gin and absinthe are both the two main things I've drank in the past 10years, and I feel this doesn't represent either beyond a kind of middle of the road example or idea of each. It's definitely 'acceptable', not bad but not great, and probably could be called 'idiosyncratic', so it gets a 3.
Louche- Really nice. Maybe a bit on the thin side but also a little more complex than other blanches I've seen, with a very slight iridescence.
Aroma- Leans a bit more towards gin to my nose, but almost like a watered down gin with anise added. There's a kind of minty freshness, but overall it's just not very bold or complex and doesn't really grab me in any way.
Flavor- Like the aroma, it just really doesn't do much for me. Fresh and sharp, like a blanche or a gin. When I drink gin it's usually a gin and tonic which gives it a nice crispness, but here you're typically just mixing with water and I think watered down, average quality gin, and average quality blanche is basically the end result. The juniper really seemed to commingle with the anise in a way that made it feel like I was putting effort into finish a glass. The mouth feel was nice and silky smooth, however.
Finish- Mostly I just noticed the anise and juniper, cold water, and some alcohol burn setting in. That's not particularly unpleasant, though.
Overall- Maybe it would be better in some kind of absinthe cocktail but I wasn't adventurous enough to try. When I consider the price of this vs the price of a bottle of tanqueray rangpur or bombay sapphire I really just wonder why I didn't get one of each of those instead. I'm not a huge fan of any blanche I've encountered though, so I'm probably a bit biased. This isn't terrible or even bad but the price point really makes it hard for me to justify and I don't think I would ever buy another bottle. I can see where some people might really like it though. Gin and absinthe are both the two main things I've drank in the past 10years, and I feel this doesn't represent either beyond a kind of middle of the road example or idea of each. It's definitely 'acceptable', not bad but not great, and probably could be called 'idiosyncratic', so it gets a 3.
M
Good in theory.
Overall rating
3.4
Appearance
4.0
Louche
3.0
Aroma
3.5
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.0
Finish
4.0
Overall
3.0
Appearance: It's obviously a blanche, but there's a barely noticeable yellow tint.
Louche: It doesn't seem to get quite as thick as it should, and not nearly as thick as most blanches. It ends up a with some color post-louche: a light yellow-blue-green huge.
Aroma: The smell is fairly big while louching and juniper is definitely present. Overall is has a cool, evergreen-like, somewhat oceany smell.
Flavor: Not a big flavor. Whispers of wormwood and some other supporting flavors, but not very bold.
Finish: A lot of the dryness I'd associate with a gin, but given that the texture is very thin, it doesn't end up with much of a finish.
Overall: I think this would be a good idea if executed with an excellent gin and an excellent absinthe, but I don't think it achieved it's full potential in this particular absinthe.
Louche: It doesn't seem to get quite as thick as it should, and not nearly as thick as most blanches. It ends up a with some color post-louche: a light yellow-blue-green huge.
Aroma: The smell is fairly big while louching and juniper is definitely present. Overall is has a cool, evergreen-like, somewhat oceany smell.
Flavor: Not a big flavor. Whispers of wormwood and some other supporting flavors, but not very bold.
Finish: A lot of the dryness I'd associate with a gin, but given that the texture is very thin, it doesn't end up with much of a finish.
Overall: I think this would be a good idea if executed with an excellent gin and an excellent absinthe, but I don't think it achieved it's full potential in this particular absinthe.
A
Louched not Stirred.
(Updated: May 18, 2012)
Overall rating
3.7
Appearance
4.0
Louche
3.5
Aroma
4.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.5
Finish
3.5
Overall
3.5
Appearance: This blanche is extremely clear with just the slightest tint. Close to perfect but there's some yellow hue in the way.
Louche: The louche is translucent and hued but also also a bit on the thin side. It is very white when held against the light though.
Aroma: The trinity of absinthe is on display as well as juniper. Subtle aromas such as mint or melissa are very much in the background.
Flavor: Tastes more like a gin with absinthe flavors than the other way around, but for the most part it straddles the fence between the two spirits. It is very juniper and anise heavy with a textural sharpness akin to many new world gins.
Finish: Some floral bitterness jumps out but not too much. Other than that nothing changes too much from the original flavor.
Overall: Good but not great. I am a fan of both gin and absinthe but this seems like a mediocre attempt at both. I would probably enjoy this more if it strongly took one side over the other instead of searching for a middle ground.
Louche: The louche is translucent and hued but also also a bit on the thin side. It is very white when held against the light though.
Aroma: The trinity of absinthe is on display as well as juniper. Subtle aromas such as mint or melissa are very much in the background.
Flavor: Tastes more like a gin with absinthe flavors than the other way around, but for the most part it straddles the fence between the two spirits. It is very juniper and anise heavy with a textural sharpness akin to many new world gins.
Finish: Some floral bitterness jumps out but not too much. Other than that nothing changes too much from the original flavor.
Overall: Good but not great. I am a fan of both gin and absinthe but this seems like a mediocre attempt at both. I would probably enjoy this more if it strongly took one side over the other instead of searching for a middle ground.
E
Tenneyson anyone?
(Updated: January 05, 2013)
Overall rating
3.7
Appearance
3.0
Louche
4.0
Aroma
4.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.5
Finish
3.5
Overall
4.0
Enjoyed at 3:1, no sugar.
Color: Clear, but just a tiny bit of very minute floating specks in the bottle. Hardly worth mentioning, but I noticed them, and gave it a 3, as 4 requires "clear" in this review model.
Louche: The louche develops evenly and at a nice pace, not too quickly as I've seen in many other blanches. Thick trails and swirls, nice layering. Though not a super-thick louche, it is just dense enough to be cloudy with very nice light play and opalescence. Some nice copper highlights at the bottom and edges of the Egg glass.
Aroma: Alpine meadow with a kiss of Gin. The addition of Juniper berry does not overwhelm the classic Swiss La Bleue style background. Fresh, crisp and inviting.
Flavor: This is a tasty blanche. The Gin element is clear, but does not overpower the absinthe itself. If you do not like gin, this may not be for you, but juniper goes so well with the other trad elements of absinthe, that I liked it quite a bit. The balance of all elements is well-crafted. Imagine a really nice La Bleue with a few drops of quality gin in for personality, and you'll know what to expect. Different enough however that some will not like it.
Finish: A slightly thin mouthfeel, but a decent build, peaking with tasty layers of spice, citrus and pepper. A gentle pinch on the tongue and roof of the mouth fades nicely, leaving traditional absinthe edges, but also a non-traditional kiss of gin.
Quite nice. Not my favorite blanche, but it's interesting. Don't overwater this one, and it certainly doesn't need sugar. For me, more than 3:1 would weaken the louche, mouthfeel and crisp edge this offers. Nice work, and different! I can see this might be great for cocktails as well.
Color: Clear, but just a tiny bit of very minute floating specks in the bottle. Hardly worth mentioning, but I noticed them, and gave it a 3, as 4 requires "clear" in this review model.
Louche: The louche develops evenly and at a nice pace, not too quickly as I've seen in many other blanches. Thick trails and swirls, nice layering. Though not a super-thick louche, it is just dense enough to be cloudy with very nice light play and opalescence. Some nice copper highlights at the bottom and edges of the Egg glass.
Aroma: Alpine meadow with a kiss of Gin. The addition of Juniper berry does not overwhelm the classic Swiss La Bleue style background. Fresh, crisp and inviting.
Flavor: This is a tasty blanche. The Gin element is clear, but does not overpower the absinthe itself. If you do not like gin, this may not be for you, but juniper goes so well with the other trad elements of absinthe, that I liked it quite a bit. The balance of all elements is well-crafted. Imagine a really nice La Bleue with a few drops of quality gin in for personality, and you'll know what to expect. Different enough however that some will not like it.
Finish: A slightly thin mouthfeel, but a decent build, peaking with tasty layers of spice, citrus and pepper. A gentle pinch on the tongue and roof of the mouth fades nicely, leaving traditional absinthe edges, but also a non-traditional kiss of gin.
Quite nice. Not my favorite blanche, but it's interesting. Don't overwater this one, and it certainly doesn't need sugar. For me, more than 3:1 would weaken the louche, mouthfeel and crisp edge this offers. Nice work, and different! I can see this might be great for cocktails as well.
S