Un Emile Sapin

So, at my visit to Paris I got hold of this, among others, at the excellent wine and spirits shop Les Caves du Roy, up in Montmartre. Since I have tried the other Un Emiles and love them all, I figured there could be nothing with this one that would turn me down. And I was right, it's mighty nice.

It's quite hard to explain the actual taste of it, unless one is familiar with other Sapin liqueurs, and I've heard people mentioning Gin. I guess most people know the taste of Gin so I'll try taking it from there. With the slight bitterness and floral character of the regular Un Emile 68, but with an added special sort of forestiness of the Sapin it calls for quite the sensation.

I tested it neat at first, which was quite good. A good bit of heat, but it's in no way burning here. Adding water to it, produces a light green louche and the aromas tend to come out and it smells wonderful. I tried it both with and without sugar, and I see no reason for adding sugar to it, but if you like it, maybe just for the ritual, you could ofcourse use a small sugarcube instead. There really is no reason for sugar.

Tasting it now, with water added, was great. I am still having trouble describing the taste in words but it's more mellow than the regular Un Emile 68, it's got the bite of a Gin-type liqueur but not at all as dominant. And then this mixed with the touch of anise. It somehow blends in perfectly. This one is something you sit, sipping slowly, trying to figure out the various tastes and just enjoy.