The absinthe festival in Boveresse 2008 didn't present very many interesting new treats apart from one or two decent new La Bleues, so I figured I'd go for the sure bet - the good man Claude Alain-Bugnon. At last I bought a bottle of the Clandestine made with a grape base alcohol.

I've been meaning to get a bottle for a long time but never got around to it... Now there it is, on the shelf among all the other bottles. The question now is of course - does it really taste that different from the original Clandestine? Well, yes it does.

It has a very nice rounded aroma carrying the characteristics of the quality known from the original Clandestine. A wonderful fennel and wormwood aroma with a good portion of anise and a slight floral minty touch. A finely balanced complexity which is often what is missing in many other La Bleues - which is also what makes many of them uninteresting.

As with most La Bleues the louche is pretty much instant but actually not too fast and it ends up as a nice thick white drink. The well rounded aroma and the good louche is well represented also in the mouth-feel which is very creamy and rich. The fennel lends a slight coating to the mouth but rather than being disturbing it adds to the impression of the drink.

The taste is, with no surprise, very similar to the original Clandestine but with a more rounded character from the grape base. The very typical La Bleue character is definitely there and it's in all aspects a very good drink and something I really enjoy. If you haven't tried the Clandestine Alcool de Vin yet I advice you to do so - it's a very good absinthe.