Appearance: An average yellow-green, with maybe a touch of haze.

Louche: A pretty color, but a hint too thick. Nice glowing red highlights, and maybe even a bit of purple.

Aroma: The smell is noticeable, but not bursting with aroma. Definitely all three of the trinity are present, but not much else is going on here.

Flavor/Mouthfeel: A decent amount of wormwood up front that comes across nice and peppery, and the flavor isn't overly sweet.

Finish: Any sweetness that was present starts to recede and it becomes fairly tongue-numbing. This goes on for a long time.

Overall: I know that this is a reproduction of an old recipe, but it's really not pushing the envelope or taking many risks here. I like the absinthe quite a bit overall; it's well done and a good one for wormwood fanatics, but it's not particularly sublime or complex.

I have been following the development of Butterfly since the time its creator called it simply AA-American absinthe.

In comparison with the early prototypes and the unofficial run, the fully-fledged Butterfly is a remarkable journey to the times of America, Europe when the clock of the ban was still silent.

Absinthe yields a perfect olive green, dark tourmaline colour, I hearsay in some people’s bottles it went feuille morte what speaks more in favour of the right colouration.

The louche is a tad thicker than I have desired from the prototypes (they had a lighter louche), nevertheless here we can see the winning hand of Claude-Alain.

Aroma reveals the complexity of a verte, the most dominant notes are that of crisp zests of citrus, mellow licorice, a slight touch of peppermint and other unusual flavours.

They trap the sipper just in the middle of tasting. Flavour of that absinthe is not traditional and it has never intended to be. It was made having in mind the American palate preferring sweeter, candier and robust spicy notes. And that intention has been realised to the fullest.

Due to the prominence of American, Bostonian character of the spirit, the wormwoodiness is slightly less accentuated in the finish.

Nevertheless, it is a truly American absinthe made with skills and artistry, if coming from Switzerland.

Haven’t had the other of the newer European offerings, but I am still sure they won’t dethronize Butterfly.

Appearance: A very light yellowish green, slightly foggy.

Louche: Oily trails in the beginning, with some yellow and orange. Then a thick, milky, green white louche, with some orange and blue reflex.

Aroma: A lovely aroma, intense but not invasive. Holy trinity without any rough edge, some spicy notes (cinnamon, pepper). Sweet and balanced.

Flavor/Mouthfeel: Mildly sweet, with wormwood, anise is restrained. Creamy and round, intense and delicate at the same time. All rough edges seem to have been removed by very careful distillation. Spicy, in a balanced way.

Finish: Wormwood bitterness lingering for long.

Overall: I personally like spicy absinthes, even when they are somehow rough. Butterfly is spicy and still perfectly balanced, not rough at all, with a sweetness which I find specific of other Bugnon’s products. A little jewel.