St. George Spirits St. George Absinthe Verte NV 750ml

Made with a brandy (grape) base, this deep-gold absinthe tinged with mossy olive louches to opalescent yellow tinged with green. Consider using a light hand when adding water; once the right balance is found, delicate mint and dried herb flavors come through. Aromatics include fennel, lemon balm, tarragon and a slightly oxidized note, like Sherry.

The bottle has engraving of a fanciful monkey. A driven cork takes some effort to reclose the bottle. the color of this non-European entry is light brown with green highlights. The brown comes from chlorophyll from the locally grown plants. (U.S. wormwood is grown by small farmers as far north as Washington state). With water, there is a lovely iridescence, and the drink becomes golden brown at the base, and greener at the top. The nose is piney with a suggestion of resin. This is very dry, and has an evergreen quality. The bitterness in the finish can handle a bit of sugar.

I opened my bottle of St. George and set it on the table. It took about 15 seconds for the sweet, powerful scent of anise cookie to reach my nose. In the glass, the color seems to glow. A powerful, hot entry with aggressive anise and sweeter fennel. Mid-palate becomes intensely citrus, mouth-puckering almost. Finishes warm with notes of anise, mint and some savory herb notes as well. Nicely put together. I really like the citrus notes; I think they add to an already delicious product.