Vilya Blanche (formerly Ridge Blanche) - Reviewed by Experts and Consumers at The Wormwood Society

 
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4.5 (9)
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Overall rating
 
4.2
 
4.3(3)
 
4.0(3)
 
4.7(3)
 
3.7(3)
 
4.0(3)
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Ordering
A Whiter Shade... Not Pale
(Updated: June 18, 2012)
Overall rating
 
4.5
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
5.0
Aroma
 
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
5.0
Finish
 
4.0
Overall
 
4.0
Color
Unlouched, crystal clear, bright, and absolutely colorless. The colorlessness here is almost unbelievable, and it pays off handsomely in the louched appearance. Louched, one of the most beautiful blanche louches I have seen. Very skim-milky white with pastel orange, blue, and rose highlights.

Louche
A nice mid-weight. Ample translucence really lights things up. Great sheen, very "wet" looking, myriad colorful refractions, a carry-over from the absolute lack of unlouched color. And if you're one to enjoy the show, set the fountain for a reasonably slow drip to stretch out the gorgeous lavender, lilac, indigo, and violet trails you'll see while it is forming.

Aroma
Consistent with the Ridge style, a very savory, earthy, rooty first impression. Very complicated, with a solid core of the trinity dead square in the middle. This is very substantial, with a lot going on. Highly nuanced, with a pretty sense of flowers as it warms. The brighter components become apparent after going to palate. Impeccably clean, intriguing and inviting.

Flavor
Round, velvety mouthfeel with a good sense of weight on entry. Holy crap! And like the nose, all kinds of earthy, rooty, savory, almost "forest floor" type impressions, all wrapped around the trinity, which clearly acts as the canvass on which this absinthe is painted. Bold and assertive, firm grip, with an underlying spiciness, none of which goes overboard. Throw in some focusing camphor, mint, and citric tang, and it's a party in my mouth!

Finish
Initially, dry, herbal, savory, smooth, then almost immediately, a spicy, minty, tingliness blooms and takes over. It's almost like those two sides just swap places. All the while the wormwood and the rest of the trinity fades, and for a long time. In the end, the anise, wormwood, and coriander end up in beautiful tandem, with a gentle grip, and a soft bitter linger.

Overall
Really, really nice. I love the transitions from savory, earthy, sultry on the nose to savory, slightly bitter on the attack, to anisy and complicated on the mid-palate, to minty-anisy, with wormwood and coriander on the finish. A great series of shifts, that just make sense. When combined with the quality, immediacy, complexity, and high level of craftmanship this shows, it'll make some of you take back everything you ever said about blanches.

Folks, this is real "knife and fork" absinthe that pales not, in comparison, to any of the top modern offerings. My favorite dilution is right up around 4:1. It's almost hard to think of such a bold offering as having finesse, but the level of restraint, in all areas, is admirable and impressive. My sense of this is that every facet was fussed with, to find the edge, maybe even by going over the edge, and then dialed back to create the most harmonious whole. I'm glad to see this American offering as another great alternative that should soon be available to those who seek it out. When that happens, you owe it to yourself.

Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 3:1, 3.5:1, and 4:1, and no sugar.

Ridge Extrait d'Absinthe Blanche, 11/20/10, 11/27/10, 12/18/10, 01/12/11, 01/15/11.
All evaluations had consistent notes.
M
Top 10 Reviewer 53 reviews
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I'm impressed.
Overall rating
 
4.2
Appearance
 
5.0
Louche
 
4.0
Aroma
 
5.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
4.0
Finish
 
3.0
Overall
 
4.0
Before adding water the colour is perfectly clear with no debris or tint. The aroma is dominated by floral wormwood. There is a mild heat with a slight shade of anise and a presence that reminds me of chamomile.

The louche is pearlescent, and of middle-thickness. It's pure white and only takes on the colour of light that passes through it.

After water the aroma is powdery, with the anise coming forward and the wormwood receding somewhat. There are grapefruit notes and a wrapping of earthiness.

Upfront the flavour is a powerful smack of minty wormwood, followed by a flash of peppercorn. The anise is subdued and does not contribute much sweetness. The absinthe is earthy and warm, with a twinge of bitterness. It has a crisp, light mouthfeel.

The finish is watery and mid-length, with anise giving way to a strange chalkiness until it recedes. This is the only weak point of the absinthe; it's not bad but it does not live up to its other aspects.

In some ways this absinthe has a VDT character, particularly in the aroma, but it contains more dimensions and is thus much more compelling. Unlike most blanches this does not fall into the realm of a session drink for me. It's a bit demanding as blanches go, which is refreshing in its own right.
A
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An amazing blanche
Overall rating
 
3.8
Appearance
 
4.0
Louche
 
3.0
Aroma
 
4.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
 
4.0
Finish
 
4.0
Overall
 
4.0
Appearance: Clear and bright. Very inviting.

Louche: Attractive, but much thinner than the verte. Still very inviting.

Aroma: Very clean with nice earthy and rooty characteristics, presumably from the genepi. I love that aroma.

Flavor: Very nicely balanced between sweet, earthy, and spicy. Quite enjoyable. Sweet on the tip of the tongue, then as it warms in the mouth the earthiness comes out. Upon swalling, the spiciness is felt in the throat and sides of the tongue. Really nice.

Finish: Sweet anise and spicy coriander. I wish it would last a bit longer, but that's because it's so tasty.

Overall: As someone who's not really a blanche guy, i'm very impressed by this. An easy drinking absinthe that works as well on its own as it does in a cocktail.
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