Paul Pacult – The Spirit Journal (USA):
To my way of thinking these is but one absinthe worth drinking on a regular basis and it is Vieux Pontarlier 65. Of all the absinthes I‘ve evaluated, VP rises far above the crowd due mostly to its authentic herbaceous character and pleasing demeanor.
Chap Magazine (UK):
This historic spirit, distilled using locally grown wormwood, is considered one the finest in the world.
Colour: Jade, with a light yellow hue. Relatively quick to louche, with some lovely oily notes emerging in the glass.
Nose: Slightly meaty and savoury, with biscuit notes in its undiluted form. Fresh lime notes and definite aroma of anise entering with the addition of water.
Palate: Minty and menthol notes emerge first, followed by bold anise and mildly bitter, spicy and peppery undertone. Really superb mouth feel.
Overall: Well-balanced, with big, bold flavours.
Sbmac (USA): I like this one
Color: Lovely sparkling peridot. Natural looking. Color after louche is wonderful as well. Very inviting.
Aroma: Nice. Anise, wormwood and light spice. It filled the room and made me want to drink it!
Louche: Very nice louche...developing slowly and evenly with clear trails and nice colors. Smoky clouds billowed up, with a clear layer at the top.
Flavor: The anise is at the forefront here, wormwood is just a tad behind it. Not a lot of complex floral or herbal elements. A pleasant light spice, light mint and slight herbal edge. Creamier at lower dilutions, but acceptable at 5:1. I would have preferred it at 4:1 but for the heat and bite (these vanished at 5:1). A solid basic flavor profile that is a good bang for the buck.
Finish: Clean and quality elements. Just a bit of a harshness at lower ratios. The Wormwood is more present here. Finish fades to a nice fennel, pepper and citrus. It could have lingered more.... At 5:1 however, it lightened up enough to be a bit lighter and more powdery, with a light citrus at the end.
Overall: I'd buy this again and share it with friends as a good affordable absinthe and intro to French style vertes.
Color: 4/5 Louche: 5/5 Aroma: 4/5 Flavor: 4/5 Finish: 4/5 Overall: 4/5
Brian Robinson (USA): Another enjoyable verte
Color: A very nice, vibrant peridot green.
Louche: Great louche build. Completely louched by about 2:1. Deep, opalescent and vibrant with tints of green still showing through. Very nice.
Aroma: An appetizing blend of ansie sweetness with some earthiness and a bit of peppery spice.
Flavor: Quite sweet, even without sugar. A nice dose of white pepper spice at the back of the tongue. Nice wormwood, but I'd like it to be a tad bit more prominent.
Finish: I pick up the wormwood a bit more on the finish as it plays nicely with the anise. Some definite anethole numbing, with some warmth going down the throat.
Overall: Quite enjoyable! Definitely a keeper. A smart buy for anyone looking for a traditional absinthe profile.
Color: 4/5 Louche: 5/5 Aroma: 4/5 Flavor: 4/5 Finish: 3/5 Overall: 4/5
Khiddy (USA):
Color: In the glass, amazingly bright and clear, having a gem-like quality.
Louche: It louches up nicely, keeping a tinge of green that is quite attractive. The louche builds from the bottom, with a layer of green at the top of the glass. Though it's thick enough at 2:1, I usually use a 3.5 or 4:1 ratio to open it up even more, and to provide an additional few sips per glass. It doesn't fall apart at higher water: dose ratios, either. I've had it unsugared, but I prefer it with because I think it thickens up the mouthfeel in a very positive way, without being too cloying.
Aroma: Delightful, sweetness accompanied by a bit of wormwood and a detectable anise/fennel.
Flavor: The first sip gives a butterscotch richness, with the middle and back of the tongue sensing the slight bitter & dryness of wormwood. The anise flavor is present, if light.
Finish: Refreshingly cool, minty and bitter at the same time. A slight amount of tongue-drying accompanies the finish, but not as much as in some other wormwood-forward absinthes.
Overall: I love this product. At the price it's an amazing value, cheap enough to be a daily drinker. I keep one bottle open and one in reserve because I know I'm going to be going back day in and day out.
Color: 5/5 Louche: 4/5 Aroma: 4/5 Flavor: 4/5 Finish: 4/5 Overall: 5/5
