I was quite taken by this offering. It is without any doubts the best absinthe I've had to date. I haven't had the pleasure of tasting pre-ban Berger, but from how I've heard it described there are similarities. Even the color resembles that of a pre-ban. I can imagine that over time it would acquire an almost identical dead leaf brown hue.



A nice louche, but not spectacular. It builds slowly from the bottom up. It could certainly be thicker.



The aroma is just amazing, the best I've ever experienced. Upon first opening the bottle the anise & fennel stood out, but after ample breathing time a ton of other notes made their way to the forefront, none overpowering the other. I really recommend preparing this absinthe in the traditional manner, not with a dripper. It allows the wonderful aromas to slowly unleash themselves without being blocked. It was like standing in an alpine garden in mid spring. Not "quite" room filling, but it certainly jumps out. As far as modern commercial absinthe goes, I'm not sure it has an equal in this regard.



They say taste is 2/3 smell (or something like that)... it's no surprise then that this stuff is absolutely delicious. Wonderful balance. Crisp, refreshing, clean, herbaecous, and that wonderful Pontarlier wormwood leaves you begging for another glass. I agree with Abs that the flavors that are there could perhaps be a "bit" more robust.



If this is what a Nimes style absinthe is, consider me a fan. I got an extra bottle to age and I have serious doubts that I'll have the will power to let that happen.



These "next gen" absinthes continue to impress me.

Overall, this absinthe is delicious. My favorite things about it are its complex aroma and great flavor. The only bad things in my very humble opinion are that the louche is slightly too thin and subsequently the mouth feel is not quite there. The only reason I can see for the mouth feel not being there is because of its stout herb aroma/taste. The finish is not quite what I would like it to be because of its thin louche. Is it one of the best COs right now? Potentially. Would I hesitate to drink it or buy it again? Absolutely not. There is still some room for work, but this is definitely a great absinthe.



Color: Amber green, very attractive.

Louche: Retains some of its original color, good until around 4:1. I drank my second glass at 3:1 and liked that the best. Slightly thin.

Aroma: Strong smell of wormwood, very herbal, appealing.

Flavor: Strongest point of this absinthe IMO. Good till the last drop (as long as it isn't over watered).

Finish: Does not quite stick as long as I would like, yet still substantial. Maybe this will improve over time?

The deep olive color appears a bit inappropriate. The louche is very slow in developing, and does eventually reach a three tiered effect, though briefly. Very appealing and inviting aroma with a well balanced and complex taste. Beautiful opalesence, yet has some thinness apparent. Finish is inviting and beckons for more. A most enjoyable absinthe, delicious.

NOTE: I was provided with a 1 oz blind sample of the 2008 2nd edition courtesy of bksmithey, and reviewed it as I would any other absinthe. However, my review was based entirely on a single glass rather than the three or more I normally have before posting my comments, so please keep that in mind.

COLOR: First of all, the unlouched color of this vert was gold, with the barest trace of green without quite making it to "light olive". After the louche, it was quite a pale yellow, again with the barest hint of green. [I have since been told that it was “quite green” when it was new, but turned to this color after a few months.]

AROMA: The aroma was pleasant and light, but not particularly complex. Anise and/or fennel was at the forefront (I'm still learning to differentiate these, but it seemed to be fairly fennel-heavy), although a strong streak of wormwood formed the backbone of the scent. There was a noticeable tinge of something that I couldn’t put my finger on (bksmithey compared it to baby powder, which is not far off) and thought perhaps it originated from the vial or packaging of the sample, so I didn’t mention it at first. I have since confirmed that it is from the absinthe itself. The aroma is not unpleasant (and is all but gone after loucheing) but it is odd.

LOUCHE: In spite of the experiences others have reported, I have to say that the louche was nicely active for me, with oily trails developing into a nice quilt of cirrus cloud-like formations. It didn’t last very long, but it was enjoyable. I do use very cold water by default, though, so that might be why I had better than average results.

FLAVOR: Once I tasted it, the wormwood came to the front and the anise/fennel took a backseat. The bitterness had a pleasant bite which was strong, but the fine quality of the wormwood used made it an enjoyable sip (and edged this from a 3 to a 4). Overall, the flavor came across as a bit simplistic, but elegantly done. I found that it could be pushed to 4.5:1 and still be good, but started getting noticeably weak at 5:1. Those with a bitter tooth would likely rate this one very highly.

FINISH: The mouthfeel was not thin, though not particularly creamy, but there was just the right amount of tongue-numbing. For such a high ABV (72%), the distiller did a fine job balancing everything.

OVERALL: While it might be near the upper limits of what I would find pleasantly bitter even after sweetening, I enjoyed this and would not refuse another glass.

A green tinged amber shade with the green being very faint. The louche is slow forming with gradient clouds, nicely formed. The color after water is a translucent tinged green. The aroma is of anise with a alcohol presence but not overbearing, with herbal notes…angelica, and hyssop, I believe. Louched a herbal mix with very present wormwood. The mouth feel is clean and velvety. The taste is an anise, herbal complexity with an excellent wormwood finish, which is lingering in nature. This will be a very good addition to my absinthe collection.