Week 47: Haint [52 Whispers from the Muse]

Haint

Overall Rating: 3.6
Appearance: 4.0
Louche: 3.0
Aroma: 3.5
Flavor/Mouthfeel: 3.5
Finish: 3.5
Overall: 4.0

Appearance: A light yellow green, clear and natural.
Louche: Very slow and light louche that seems to crave very cold ice water. It did start with lovely blue swirls ending in a semi-translucent green.
Aroma: Botanical and bright, a bit of alcohol on the nose but at this healthy 125 proof it wasn’t unpleasant..
Flavor/Mouthfeel: Not nearly as sweet as I expected, in fact it had a nice Wormwood and Fennel presence with a refreshing hint of mintiness. Anise was there, not as far back as being in the background but it was by no means overbearing. I expected to want to drink this at a low dilution but despite the lightness and brightness it seemed to hit my palate right at just over 3:1 water to Absinthe, I may have stopped just before 3.5:1
Finish: Lovely Wormwood finish with a bit of a bitter tingle. The mintiness tries to stretch into the lingering flavor but doesn’t last very long.
Overall: Overall this is a solid American Absinthe. It may be a little light to use as just an absinthe rinse in cocktails, but as a measured ingredient it has played well with every drink I’ve made with it (especially Gin drinks).That being said, if I do use this as a rinse, I’ve just use a heavier splash and never, never consider discarding it (who am I kidding, I never discard a rinse).

While there are plenty of distilleries that produce nice Absinthes that are painstakingly recreated from a century’s old recipe, I find it just as exciting to find a modern expression of this spirit that still stays true to being a true Absinthe. Haint is a modern but true Absinthe made by Dogwood Distilling in Oregon that has its roots in New Orleans which is expressed on the label and in the name. 

The label depicts one of New Orleans’ distinct cemeteries with the black foil representing the wrought iron co common to the city and decorations representing the grapes of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Wormwood. The name ‘Haint’ is an old southern word for a restless spirit of the dead that has not passed on to the afterlife, forever wandering. Perhaps, under certain light, you’ll see the one of the restless dead as you stare into the bottle of Haint.