Presentation (no points): The bottle is a clear glass bell, nicely labelled. Clear glass is not ideal for protecting the absinthe from light, so dark storage is ideal. The cork popped out easily despite the wax seal, could probably use more wax if a tight seal was desired.

Color (5 points): Lovely natural green, clear and free of any sediment. Very appetizing. Looks a touch young, but I couldn't wait any longer to open it!

Louche (5 points): Excellent louche, thick, full, and rich.

Aroma (5 points): Anise and herbs are first, followed by a touch of floral aroma, smells like springtime. Wonderful.

Flavor (4 points): Nicely balanced flavors, herbal softness throughout, I found myself craving to taste a bit more of the floral character I can smell.

Finish (4 points): Soft finish, slight numbing in the middle of the tongue. The herbal flavors remain and once again I would only wish to taste a bit more of the floral character.

Overall (4 points): The U.S. domestic absinthe market is beginning to have an embarrassment of riches with such high quality yet subtlely crafted absinthes being made available for us to enjoy. Meadow of Love is a wonderful addition to the absinthe cabinet, it is distinct enough from it's sister absinthe, Walton Waters, to merit getting both. If I had any request it would be to introduce more of the lovely floral hints that were a bit of a tease at their current levels.

-Color-
Before Water: Vibrant light peridot. Very green, but I know this absinthe is a little young, so I hesitate to give it full points before I can see it aged a few more months.

After Water: Pleasing lime green, the final louche is a little on thick side, but with good depth and highlights.

-Louche-
Thick, layering trails that move of their own accord when the pour is paused. A nice swirling, yet very well defined fog bank forms at a good pace and slowly infiltrates the clear top layer, bouncing with every drop of water.

-Aroma-
Before Water: A bit of alcohol sharpness, sweet floral perfume, lightly herbaceous.

After Water: As water is added, the perfume issues forth. Not the most “room filling”, but definitely enticing from a couple feet away. The perfume I picked up neat develops into refreshing floral notes in the high range and at the bottom range is a nice herbaceous petite wormwood (pontica).

-Flavor-
Floral sweetness, soft anise, refined spice, and hints of citrus, with the pontica again contributing to a really great herbal flavor. Refined but deliciously bitter grand wormwood completes the excellent balance, and continues with us through the finish.

The mouthfeel is not as thick and creamy as found in the Pontarlier and other absinthe styles, but falls more into a nice, smooth satin (similar to the mouthfeel of Pacifique) with mild tongue numbing.

-Finish-
The delightful finish echoes the flavor and lets the tasty wormwood come through. It lingers in a way that is not “crisp” like in some absinthes, but is perfectly clean with an understated smooth dryness.

-Overall-
This is a wonderful, flowery (this is the 4th time I’ve mentioned a floral characteristic for good reason), feminine absinthe. This gal is soft, clean and wonderfully balanced, but she has plenty of flavor power. I think this absinthe can be equally appreciated by newcomers (possibly even the anise adverse) and experienced absintheurs. I happily welcome this fine example of liquid art into my top 10 favorites.

Notes: Tasted at aprox 3.5:1 and 4:1 with fountain drip and pitcher pour respectively, no sugar. Batch# 09-2, Bottle 10.

Very cold water drip to about 3.5:1, no sugar

color: clear, perfect green, no hint of olive/brown. Seriously, all I could think while looking at the liquid in the reservoir of my glass is "perfect".

nose (neat): good anise, herbal, lightly spicy. Well balanced, anise a little forward. Very clean, no hint of anything musty/funky/whatever, just herbal and enticing.

louche: beautiful trails, good layering, a typically good louche. Color after water is a gorgeous creamy green, it holds its color very well.

nose: herbal, wormwoody, anise has moved back just a bit which surprises me, anise usually moves more forward with water. It's not a huge room-filler, but it's not hiding in the glass, either. Water is very cold, I suspect aroma will get bigger as it warms. But again, very clean, the absinthe herbs are all coming through beautifully with nothing in their way.

flavor: great creamy mouthfeel, excellent balance of spicy-bitter-anise. I was expecting a little heavier anise after initial nose, but I'm not disappointed, the flavor is fantastic. I have seen comments in the forum describing this absinthe as "dry", and I agree with that, but I was also getting a very nice sweet anise flavor mid-way, which I enjoy. Again I'm thinking "clean", nothing distracting from the herbs. This is one where the "alpine meadow" impression really comes through -- thoughts of herbs, cool, clear water, and crisp, fresh air are all conjured -- springtime in the Rockies, captured in a bottle.

finish: spicy, some light tongue numbing as appropriate, ending with nice bitterness. Finish is very long and all of the flavors hang around, great complexity.

overall: everything about this is a winner. The color is spectacular, both before and after water. The flavor and finish are top notch, and the only thing I could think would have improved the experience is if the aroma had jumped from the glass and wrapped around my head. Now I need to crack open the piggy bank and get a bottle of the Walton Waters ordered ...