NOTE: Verte Batch One with Louisiana grown Wormwood, purchased 6/30/13 at the Atelier Vie Bottle Sale.

Appearance Pre Louche: Beautiful natural light green color with sediment at the bottom of the bottle. After Louche: Ivory colored with white milky accents.

Louche: Lovely oil trails, beautiful swirling and thick. It is on the fast side.
Aroma: anise and threshold alcohol.

Flavor/Mouthfeel: Creamy and a perfectly balanced trinity followed by a mild alcohol base warmth, followed by a savory tingling bitterness.

Finish: savory tingling and a silkiness.

Overall: While not the most complex, it is a pretty good example of an everyday absinthe. Something I can keep around for sure.

Final Notes: I'm happy to see a Verte being made in New Orleans that embraces the history of absinthe within the city and follows a traditional format. I also like the use of the Cane base, Sugarcane is close to my heart and the use of it as a base is a bold move and I applaud Atelier Vie for it. I'd love to see a deluxe version of the Verte and can't wait for the Blanche.

This is my first absinthe after several years of abstinence. When I first opened the bottle I smelled the strong but not overpowering anise; it was a clean and sharp scent.

As mentioned before, straight out of the bottle (or still in it) there is some cloudiness like it has some particulars in it but its not a turn off; the color is a healthy green.

The louche is quick and heavy - it stayed louched throughout (some absinthes I've had get watery as I sip). I could definitely feel it on the tongue. I used sugar in it but it could easily get by without. I am not quite so skilled in discerning the differences between cane and other based absinthe, so I can't speak to that part of it.

I admit I really enjoyed this as a return to absinthia.

The most attractive aspect of this absinthe for me, is the louche. It is quite thick and entertaining to watch form in the glass. When louched, the absinthe has a creamy feel upon the tongue and is a lovely milky green color. There is some numbing, which I consider appropriate and the flavors are balanced with no single member of the trinity pushing the others aside. I've found that a a dilution ratio of 1:4 suits this pretty well.

Pre-louche; the color is quite green (natural) and some particles can be seen in the bottle (which I take no offense to, whatsoever). The bottle itself is unique in that it has a screw-cap, which I've never seen before on an absinthe.

One thing to advise others upon is the cane base. While it is not as prevalent as some other brands which use a similar base... it is present and it is noticeable. I would say that the use of a grain or grape spirit would improve this absinthe - but there is nothing offensive at all in the present base - it is just presently present and of course lends its attributes to the overall experience :)

It is wonderful to see absinthe coming out of New Orleans again after so many years!

EDIT 11/10/2013: I find as I get closer to the end of this bottle, the absinthe seems to acquire an unpleasant alcohol heat in the background which distracts from the more herbal flavors. The base also becomes more pronounced. Rating adjusted slightly to take this into account.