est. 2007

Lemercier Abisnthe 45 Absinthe Review:

-45% abv (90 proof), .7 litre

-Country of Origin: France

-Silver medal winner at the 2003 Absinthiades

Early readers may remember that I actually reviewed this more than 6 months ago.  Unfortunately, that review was one of the victims along with the Duplais Verte review in the TARN computer failure incident of '07.  Better late than never, but with the average showing Lemercier 45 put forth I doubt there would've been much heartbreak if I had let it slip into the realm of forgotten reviews. The Amer may be a closet choice for some absinthuers, but I'm officially coming out to say that this 45 version, while decent, is not quite up to snuff…

I took the slightest sip neat when it first arrived and now upon re-opening I can see there is just a bit of dried sugar on the cap.  It is almost clear with a very, very faint golden tinge.   There’s some very sweet anise upfront, but a musty, subdued quality brings it down.

The louche was very quick and expanded very suddenly, like a puff of smoke, resulting in a dull gray colour.  For this absinthe I would not suggest diluting beyond 2:1, unless you like your drinks watered down.  At 1.5 it had some padding from the light pre-sweetening, but there's not much there.  It does drink veeery smoothly, though.  I thought 1.5 was optimal.

Tasted neat yes, it is undoubtedly sweet, and I immediately recognized a similar Lemercier character, albeit with less wormwood making it through.  Louched, an herbal mintyness overtakes the body of the drink.  I was underwhelmed at 1:1 so I was very cautious about adding more water and having it melt into a puddle of blandness.  At 1.5 very little change; still mellow, minty anise.  Figuring I was at a stalemate, I tried adding a small amount of sugar; after all, I recalled, the Amer improved significantly with the addition of sugar.  And likewise, it did improve the drink in this case.  Strange,...it’s pre-sweetened, but is just short of the perfect amount of sugar.  If you're going to pre-sweeten an absinthe you may as well put ENOUGH sugar in, but hell, what do I know, right?  A bit of fennel is now present and the anise becomes fuller, bringing it one step closer to a pastis profile.  It is wrapped up with a subtle herbal tingle-the only sign of wormwood I could detect- for a straightforward and smooth drink.  While there's not much depth here, it is a fairly tasty casual sipping absinthe.  Pour a few ounces and milk it over the course of the evening.

Personal Preference: I enjoyed this absinthe best at a 1.5-2 parts water ratio with minimal sugar.

Presentation: 7.5

Louche: 5.0

Taste: 6.0

Value: 7.5

Overall: 6.0

Posted 2/18/08