Suisse La Bleue/Verte - Plum Base

From Val de Travers in Switzerland comes this clandestine absinthe. All thanks to Simon Pedersen, I got the chance to sample this one. It dates back to around 2000 so it has had time to settle in and age very well.

So what's the deal on this one? Why bother reviewing another clandestine Suisse La Bleue? Well, this isn't an ordinary La Bleue by far. First of all, this is a verte. Second it tastes like nothing I've had before. The very heavy sediments on the bottom of the bottle told me this would be very heavy in taste, and it is. It's got a really special herbal sort of spicyness to it. I can't quite explain it, but it's very interesting.

So, opening the bottle and the first thing I notice is the very obvious smell of... plum! Plum mixed with a lot of herbs, mainly wormwood and also a very slight hint of anise and what I believe might be hyssop. Tasting it neat is actually a very pleasant suprise. It's good. Considering the first smell of it, that was a huge surprise.

Adding water to it produces a nice light green louche and its intense smell mellows and spreads in the room. The taste is ofcourse a bit smoother now, but still very heavy. It's not really complex, just intense and heavy. Some how it does appeal to me, and I do like it. The plum base adds a very interesting texture to the drink and as I said, I've never tasted anything like it before.