Jade Espirit Edouard Absinthe Supérieure

DISCLAIMER: If you are a serious absinthe aficionado, please defer to Mr. Cascode, who seems to have a lot of knowledge and expertise about absinthe. This was my first time trying absinthe (having previously only tried Pernod). This spirit has an herbal aroma strong enough to smell across a table. It smells damp and herbal and tastes similarly: woody, vegetal, and subtly sweet. I tried it neat, first, and then diluted it as is proper. It tastes strongly of citrusy coriander and fennel, with a candied sweetness. For this non-expert, it tastes a lot like swallowing a teaspoon of coriander seed with a chaser of sweetener. The high abv is surprisingly well-masked by these herbal overtones, presenting itself only as a mouth-warming sensation. I wanted to try absinthe, and from what I've read, I think this is a good representation of it at its best.

Appearance (neat): Old gold with a green tint. Exactly the same colour as the oil from a jar of preserved vine leaves. (louched): Condensed in appearance with a colour that is somewhere between very pale jade green and a golden-hued autumn leaf. This is the liquid counterpart of the finest grade of white moss jade. The louche takes a while to appear but starts around 1:1. It progresses slowly, being yellowish to start with, and a thick layer of oils floats above the louched content right up until about 1:4. At 1:4-1:6 it is complete and has achieved its final, glorious appearance. Aroma: When neat there is a refined but insistent aroma of woody herbs. The nose begins to bloom the second the first drop hits the surface and it continues to expand and fill the surrounding air as it louches. There is great complexity and anise is present, although reserved, with fennel and wormwood being more prominent. There is a citrus note but it is not bright – it’s like dried lime and mandarin peel. Earthy, woody notes are in support and there is also cumin, coriander and a strong vegetal aroma. Floating above all the other aromas is a floral bouquet that suggests walking through a meadow of spring flowers on a perfect day, towards a cool and welcoming forest, smelling of humus, damp bark and mushrooms. Flavour and Texture: Exquisite balance. Wormwood, anise and fennel in the arrival and nothing is rushed or cheaply sensational. The palate is reserved, genteel and it takes its own good time to progress. It is clean, well defined, very complex and it’s only on the aftertaste that you start to appreciate the intricacy of the palate. Over time the dried-peel citrus notes noted on the nose also appear on the palate at the sides of the tongue, and bitter herbal and baking-spice notes emerge. This bitterness is balanced by the creamy mouthfeel and it remains as the primary sensation, building slowly as subsequent sips are taken. The fresh citrus-like herbal notes re-assert with each mouthful producing a counterpoint to the gradually numbing wormwood bitterness and foundation anise. Magnificent. The aftertaste is very long. There is a density and intensity to this absinthe that is beguiling – from the rich creamy appearance to the mouth-filling texture and slowly mounting flavours, it is a tour-de-force of opulence. For those who may not know, this was, and is, a ground-breaking absinthe – possibly one of the most important of all the modern expressions. This absinthe was the first to be reverse-engineered by Ted Breaux from samples taken from a bottle of pre-ban Esprit Edouard over a century old. Chromatography and other analytical techniques were used to dissect the exact profile of the spirit and Mr Breaux then set about rebuilding the production process by trial and error, and with the guide of 19th century distiller’s recipe books sourced from distillery archives. Drinking a perfectly louched glass of this spirit is a privilege. If you have the slightest interest in absinthe and only want to buy one bottle to try, this is the one. Then again, there are 4 more core-range Jade expressions and each one has its clique of devotees. Take your pick – there are about a dozen truly great modern absinthes available, and almost half of them are from Jade (I'll be reviewing them all over the coming weeks). Jade is the “Del Maguey” of absinthe. “Phenomenal” : 95/100 (5 stars)