La Fée Absinthe

FeeVerte.net

'Alright boys and girls, here's the glad tidings: It's good! Never have I had in my hands a bottle of commercially-produced absinthe that was in any danger of guzzlement, until now. I simply don't like anise or citrine flavors well enough to keep drinking any of the Spanish absinthes at one sitting. But this La Fee! I can't keep my hands off it!'

'This stuff is different. It is not overwhelmed by anise. Its 'nose' is herbal and well-balanced, with mint the dominant scent, although not by a large margin. Anise is there, but in its proper place...'

'...Achieving a significant louche without a lot of anise is no mean feat, and the makers of this stuff have done a good job of pulling that off, if nothing else, but fortunately for us, there is something else: flavor!! And what a flavor: subtle, balanced, floral, and refreshing. This absinthe has much more of an herbal character than the Spanish products. It has a nice bitter edge, just enough to offset the overall presence in the mouth, which is sweet and minty. Sugar further hightens the mint/floral character, and I prefer it that way.'

— Artemis, on FeeVerte.net

Class Magazine

CLASS is one of the UK's leading style bar trade magazines.

Michael Lake on Artifex.ws

'On opening the bottle, the bouquet is much stronger than the wormwood-free substitutes like Herbsaint, it has an almost fruity, woody smell. The color is a vivid devilish green. Louche effect is quite pronounced and yields a nice opalescent green color. The flavor is quite different from Pernod or Absente. It has a black-licorice (anise) flavor to be certain, but not as prominently as some other brands. The wormwood flavor takes on a whole new character. It isn't hardly at all bitter, but there is a very deep woody flavor. It reminds me somewhat of chocolate, but with none of it's sweetness. There are prominent secondary flavors of lemon and mint.'

Meltdown - It's a Goth Thing

'A much mellower flavour than the others in this test. Turning a milky, greenish white in the preparation process, this is a sign of all the right oils coming into play. The anise softens the wormwood utterly, perhaps taking the edge of what is supposed to be a slightly disturbing drink. Dangerous in its smoothness, you may only notice you’ve had a little too much when the bottle starts winking at you.'

Joseph Brant Issue 16 Winter 2004