Vieux Carré Absinthe - Reviewed by Experts and Consumers at The Wormwood Society

 
4.1 (3)
 
2.0 (36)
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Overall rating
 
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3.3(3)
 
4.0(3)
 
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4.0(3)
 
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Another very good absinthe from America
Overall rating
 
4.3
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
5.0
Aroma
 
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
4.0
Finish
 
4.0
Overall
 
4.0
This is another tasty absinthe and thanks to a friend, I'm delighted to have my hands on a full bottle of Vieux Carré Absinthe. The color is very pretty but my bottle had a bit of haze and once in the glass, the color was a beautiful yellow-green. The louche held a lovely opalescence through 4.5-to-1 but started to degrade after that. That's less of a complaint than a warning to those with a 5-to-1 or greater preference. It is a delicious absinthe, light and refreshing with plenty of complexity. The Wormwood bitterness is a little curious as it seems to come and go, perhaps playing with the Genepy but a bit more sustained Wormwood dominance would be a personal preference of mine. It's a minor complaint because this is a well crafted beverage.

I like Vieux Carré Absinthe. I also like the decanter bottle. It looks damn good on my bar and tastes damn good to boot. Congratulations to Philadelphia Distillery. They have added another quality product to their arsenal of fine beverages.
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Unique Personality, Subtle Complexity
(Updated: June 19, 2012)
Overall rating
 
3.9
Appearance
 
3.0
Louche
 
3.0
Aroma
 
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
4.0
Finish
 
4.0
Overall
 
4.0
Color
Unlouched, the color is medium amber with slight greenish glints. Reasonably clear, some slight suspended particulate in the dose. The bottom of my bottle is monkey island. Louched, the final color is milky amber with whitish yellow at the edges and whitish blue at the meniscus. Only the slightest gradients in color keep it from being one-dimensional looking.

Louche
Very nice thick trails immediately and clouding sets up quickly. The clouding builds real fast though, and every time it was fully opaque by .8/1. Almost no layering, and also each time I got a "sudsy" looking cordon of bubbles around the rim that I did not find attractive. And believe me, I'm a nutcase where it comes to washing and rinsing any kind of drinking glass. This is something I've not seen with any other absinthe. Louche is somewhat murky until the dilution reaches about 3.5/1 and lets some light in.

Aroma
Neat, nice anise/fennel backed by clean, pleasant herbals. What I believe is the genepi gives this a slightly different character than most. Louched, very nice. All the "green" stuff up front... wormwood, genepi, pontica. The anise and fennel back this up, and a note of florals, citrus and mint wrap it up. Occasionally I get a nice whiff of hyssop. Really fine balance. All facets constantly weaving in and out.

Flavor
Like the nose, the palate is very herbal driven. Wormwood, genepi, pontica, hyssop up front and supported by the anise/fennel combo. The star anise adds a pleasant little tingle and kicks the brightness a bit. Probably the best use of star anise I have seen yet. A lot of other complexities (floral, citric, minty) dance in and out of view.

Finish
A really straight on kind of finish. Not boring because this absinthe isn't. A good linear fade of all the nose and palate impressions. The slightest tongue numbing and "pull" on the palate. Overall finish is crisp, minty, refreshing, and satisfying.

Overall
Yeah, I like it. The last two evaluations, especially, I have started out lukewarm on this because the visual aspects could use some improvement. But I gotta' tell you once past that, VC has a lot going for it. Great subtle and refined balance, it's fresh, refreshing, not overpowering in any way. Let it warm up. At room temperature this stuff sings. Clearly genuine absinthe with its own unique personality.

Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 3.5/1, and 4/1 and no sugar.

Vieux Carre 3/08/09, 3/15/09, 5/09/09, 5/16/09
All evaluations had consistent notes.
M
Top 10 Reviewer 53 reviews
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Really good stuff
(Updated: January 07, 2010)
Overall rating
 
4.0
Appearance
 
3.0
Louche
 
4.0
Aroma
 
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
4.0
Finish
 
4.0
Overall
 
4.0
I was very pleased when I first pulled out this absinthe and poured a dose. First off, the packaging is great. The decanter style bottle adds a lot of class.

Color: A deep emerald/forest green. Maybe a bit too dark.

Louche: Using my fountain and Simon Pierce bubble glass, I got some remarkable trails and a nice thick (but not too thick) louche. It retains an inviting light green color when fully louched. I enjoyed it most at about 3.5:1.

Aroma: Lots of very nice anise and fennel with some minty wormwood in the background. Well balanced and refreshing.

Flavor and Finish: I really like how balanced this absinthe is. The fennel doux adds a nice light sweetness that plays well with the light anise and floral wormwood. The genepi adds a nice 'roundness' to the overall flavor and texture. The flavors linger on the tongue for quite a while.

Overall: It would be tough for people to not enjoy this absinthe. It's well balanced, light and still complex. Nothing out of the ordinary. I like that they used their first absinthe as a chance to represent a traditional flavor profile.

If you can pick up a bottle of this, I recommend doing so.
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