The color was like a mid 70's furniture greenish gold. Totally natural in my opinion but not as green as I'd expect of a new release. I really did like it though.

The louche was slower to start than I was looking for but came on smooth and thick.

Ahh, the aroma. My first impression of this was very pleasant almost floral.

At about 3:1 I found it sweet on the tip of my tongue and working towards a neat bitter as it sat there. Quite tasty with no "off" flavors. Balanced nicely.

The finish lingered a spell and was pretty satisfying.

Overall, I found this to be a very nice drink. I would certainly buy more and I wish I had. Quite comfortable without being brash. I was in the mood for something to curl up by the fireplace and sip. This works well for that. I had read the discussions regarding it's comparison to pre-ban absinthe and I don't think it's an unreasonable comparison and that in itself is a compliment.

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.

This is , bar none, the finest commercial offering from the modern era...it's a true Nimes style absinthe (the wormwood is outstanding)which is huge, and intense in aroma, and flavor, as well as remarkably complex. A melange of herbs wrap around the senses, and caress the palate with top quality anise, fennel, hyssop, coriander(bigtime), melissa, fruit juicy and incredibly floral wormwood (wonderfully fragrant in the finish), and other more exotic spices, which are difficult to place, although cardamom may be one of them. The only slight drawback is a very mild vegetal characteristic which may be the result of going a tad heavy on the coloration herbs, and the louche itself could be thicker...it's reasonably opaque at a bit less than 3:1, but at almost 4:1 it's a bit light.



The nose is as intense, and complex as the flavor, although it could be just a bit more room-filling...however,it is remarkably similar to, if just a tad less luxurious than the 1914 Pernod Fils aroma, which amazed me.



The color, neat, is identical to the beautiful golden-green hue of the 1914 Pernod Fils, which is remarkable considering it is a subtle feuille mort that usually takes quite some time to appear.



The flavor, yet again, bears a striking resemblance to the 1914, except for that slight vegetal character, and the base not adding quite the depth of flavor that one used in the Pernod Fils adds. Also, I think it could be just a tad richer (after sampling a few more glasses). If I had been sent a sample of this nectar as pre-ban, I would certainly have had no problem believing it was absolutely authentic.



The finish lives up to the initial flavor, and is propelled by that remarkably powerful, incredibly floral wormwood that lingers almost infinitely. This masterpiece is the best example of a Nimes style absinthe I've ever tried, including HGs, and I'd describe it as nothing less than groundbreaking!



Hats off to Heure Verte, Emile Pernot et cie., and LDF for being the first to bring us this wondrous libation.