Batch 10-6

Color: Stunning perfect peridot with gem-like sparkle and clarity. Clean clear and natural. Perfect.

Louche: Magnificent, with a thin steady stream from a dripper. Clear trails turning to light smoke, then rolling, dramatic, billowy clouds from the bottom up with a thick clear layer right up to the very end when it all came together. The color and thickness were perfect.

Aroma: Clean, fresh and inviting. Anise and fennel dominate, with louche, herbals come more into play.

Flavor: Quality anise and soft floral fennel with a developing full, round wormwood. The trinity is perfectly balanced here. Roll this one around a bit. There is fresh, clean impression here that is very hard to describe.

Finish: Layered, sophisticated and tasty. A slow fade of all the flavors, with a light pinch of bitter and building citrus tang, ending in a light powdery feel. It stays with you for a long time, gently pulling you toward your next sip, allowing a nice relaxed pace.

-Color-
Before Water: Vibrant, clear- nearly forest- green. I believe this is due to the young age of this absinthe, and in 3 weeks I have already seen it move just so slightly towards peridot. I'll need to see it around the 6 month mark to really be able to score it properly (I know of some excellent absinthes that were vibrant green right after coloration, but are now closer to pale amber simply because they have been aged).

After Water: Very nice medium lime; natural and attractive. Thicker than some, but has good depth.

-Louche-
Thick, impressive trails that seem to bounce into fluffy knots and then form little jelly layers. Cloud grows at about the perfect rate, is well defined and reaches into the clear top section when disturbed by water drops.

-Aroma-
Before Water: Clean alcohol heat, prominent citrus, and a deep herbal tone that's due especially to the wormwood and fennel.

After Water: Sweet floral and citrus up front. Backing herbaceous notes that are cohesive, but I think I can pick out the grand and petite wormwoods and maybe a little powdery hyssop.

-Flavor-
Sweet anise and fennel are first up, then act as a foundation to let smooth citrus, minty bitter wormwood, finely balanced herb melange and spicy notes come through. I agree with the assessment that one should roll it around a bit more than usual before swallowing to get the most out of the tasty wormwood and other herbs. It wouldn't be surprising if the flavor opens up more as the absinthe matures.

Very nice mouthfeel- smooth and full, with a mild, yet spicy tingle.

-Finish-
The finish is has good staying power, with the grand wormwood coming out even more for a savory bitter send off.

-Overall-
This is a great absinthe that I do not hesitate to recommend. Slightly bolder (I get more grand wormwood, and less petite, comparatively) and creamier than its sibling, Meadow of Love. The soft citrus notes and almost juicy mouthfeel distinguish it, yet it pays tribute to the classic Pontarlier style. Another entry for my top 10.

Notes: Louched 3:1 and 3.5:1, no sugar. Batch 09-3 Bottle 29

Color: Inviting and clear emerald. No sediment in the pour or bottom of the bottle.

Louche: Attractive louche when completed. Decent opalescence and oil trails when louching.

Aroma: Prominent fennel anise & hyssop. Nicely rounded and fresh smelling. The aroma actually reminds me of Meadow of Love but without the flowery overtones.

Flavor: Bright cheery and crisp that is heavy on the lemon balm. Hyssop and crisp wormwood round out the flavors. I think the lemon was a tad too aggressive for my taste.

Finish: Lemony and crisp finish reminded me of the flavor.

Overall: Another quality offering from Delaware Phoenix. I guess I’m a little spoiled with the Meadow of Love but this is still a well-constructed absinthe; you can taste the quality in every sip.

Note: I noticed that this absinthe is quite ‘durable.’ The herbal complexities are still especially present when louched with 5+ parts water.

This review was conducted with 1 sugar cube, a 4-to-1 ratio, and per the Absinthe Evaluation Instructions.

Color: Like the Meadow of Love, looking through the side of the glass the color was more noticeable. From the top it seemed a bit thin, but more color than MoL.

Louche: Nice louche, started quickly.

Aroma: Nice aroma with dominant anise tones.

Flavor: More zesty than the MoL.

Finish: Definitely fresh and crisp with slight tongue numbing.

Overall: Definitely zesty like Meadow of Love, but more of a crisp finish. The citrus aspects is also more noticeable at first taste.

colour:

Lime green, not too neon, not undercoloured, indication of young absinthe. What to whine about? Walton Waters is darker warm green, cadmium green than Meadow of Love I haven’t had yet.

Ends opalescent green. The yellowishness it was what IMO it might have benefited from and so it have after some time.

louche:

Not too hasty, delicate, almost opaque but without striving towards too much of translucency. Note, my water is not frozen, it is just cold, so even at the level I like it, with frozen one should end much thicker.

aroma:

Herbal, clean, citrusy, flowery, at 1:3 no alcohol harshness.

flavour and finish:

Spicy, feminine and light, doesn't pack a wallop but is not dull or one-dimensional.

Intriguing, bolder than mouthfeel and aroma suggest, spicier with a perceptible wormwood and some note I am trying to pin down, like calamus, maybe elecampane or very aggressive Roman chamomile, it builds up in the middle of the palate and then fades away-now I know it is lemon thyme.

overall:

Extrait d'absinthe-no doubt about, has the personality, has its own kick and is pleasant. When kept longer in the mouth, gets divine bitterness. Lacks funkiness or one-dimensionality of some overestimated brands. This is a completely different league of what is being offered in Europe and is completely different from American notable brands like Pacifique or Leopold.

Can't wait to try Meadow of Love since it is so much of a goodness.

I have reviewed it on 12/17/2008 and once again on 04/20/2009