Absinthe Roquette 1797

Again a product from the Pernot distillery in Pontarlier, France. With its roots in the one-time-batch prototype "1797" which was released about a year ago this is the first batch of the production version. Based on a french recipe dating back to 1797, obviously, this is a bit different than many other absinthes. Not only that it's a historical recipe, but the fact that it dates farther back in time than those more common recipes from Duplais, Bedel etc which many products have been based on.

The Roquette is a rather vibrant light green, quite nice but actually not what I expected from the scent when opening the bottle. When pouring some in a glass it presents a sort of medicinal perfume and a good portion of alcohol. The Pontarlier wormwood could in my opinion be more dominant and I feel it lacks a bit of fruitiness to kick that aroma up a few notches but it's very interesting none the less.

With a very slow drip and really ice cold water the louche from the Roquette is quite good but you need to really let it take its time and the water should be really cold. If not, the louche will be weaker, and the drink won't be as pretty.

With the addition of water, the aroma opens up a bit and it turns into a rather nice, more balanced and inviting absinthe. The taste of the Roquette is quite unique and a nice change from most others. Despite of some of the notes above, the Roquette is a truly tasty absinthe and I really enjoy drinking it. It's not an "ordinary" absinthe at all, but it hold all the qualities and characteristics you'd expect from an absinthe and if you enjoy the taste of quality wormwood in your absinthe, the Roquette 1797 won't let you down. That's what it's all about.