Color: An inviting deep green.

Louche: No real layering. Instead, more of a general build up. Turns out to be a very nice shade of light green.

Aroma: Very light and refreshing with hints of anise and fennel. Not as much wormwood as I'd expect in the nose. Undertones of fresh cut grass.

Flavor: More wormwood comes through in the flavor than in the nose. I'd like more anise and some earthy fennel to round it out a bit more. There's just a hint of some alcohol bite at the end.

Finish: The finish is enjoyable, but I had to penalize it because it recedes very quickly. I'd like it to hang around more.

Overall: Nice and spicy. An overall enjoyable beverage. Not a favorite of mine, but still good. There's no doubt its a quality brand.

Appearance
Unlouched, a darker medium green in the moss/forest green tones. Not much in the way of nuance, however crystal clear and as bright as can be with this level of coloration. I would say right on the edge of being over-colored. Louched, medium yellowy-green with some amber at the bottom and edges.

Louche
Louche is quite translucent with moderate opalescence. This is really an unusual combination of strong color and significant translucence. I'd bet that with a little less color and a smidge more heft to the louche this would be really pretty. Not bad as is, but not amongst the best I've seen.

Aroma
Along with the wormwood, the coloring herbs really dominate here, especially the pontica. As I nose this repeatedly, I really have to look around the woodsy, conifer impressions from the pontica to see the remaining herbs. There is a hint of mint and spice in the background. It needs a bit more anise and fennel to really strike a balance. What is here is obviously of quality and clean.

Flavor And Mouthfeel
A light-medium weight on entry with decent smoothness, but like the nose portends, it could use more anethole (anise and fennel) to really make it silky, and balance what is a strong coloration. Talking loudest are the wormwoods, coriander and some mint. The strong note of conifer carries over from the nose. This restricted level of anethole creates a somewhat bitter and austere impression.

Finish
A pretty rapid but soft bloom of spiciness supported by a nice bitter bite from the wormwoods. Like every other sensory impression, the coloring herbs in control. Moderately drying, moderate length, a slight “pull”, and just a little grassy.

Overall Impression
This is an interesting offering. In my opinion, it is certainly at the mid-market level mostly because of the lack of anethole balance. The ingredients that are here are certainly of quality, and the execution seems to be very first rate. It's just the herb bill balances that keep this from doing any better with me. The bottle I'm reviewing is from December of 2007. For me, it showed best right around 5:1.

I must say, though, that I'm glad to have this around. If anyone I'm showing absinthe to ever commented that they didn't know what pontica is like this might be one of the first I'd reach for. Hey, every absinthe on Earth needn't be the most hedonistic expression only suited to those pursuits. It's nice to have these somewhat idiosyncratic offerings that serve to educate, define the elements, and further refine palates and perceptive abilities.

Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 4.5:1, 5:1, 5.2:1 and no sugar.

Absinthe Brevans H.R. Giger, 08/16/12, 9/06/12, 9/28/12.
All evaluations had consistent notes.