Pre-louche: Proper, vibrant peridot. Brilliant color. Aroma is exactly what you'd expect a good absinthe to smell like with nothing strange lingering in the shadows.

Louched: Milky green. Aroma is not as aggressive as some absinthes - but is, again, proper and an expected aroma. I so wish the pre-louche aroma would carry over more strongly!!! Louche is thick and creamy. Taste is good - nice bitterness from the wormwood. A bit of bite from the alcohol (as others have noted). Definitely not as complex and herbal as others but still quite balanced and welcome.

Just very balanced, overall. Nothing to make it really stand out from others - but it is good, clean, natural, traditional, and authentic absinthe... and that is what really counts! Nice that this can be acquired in the United States - as there aren't a lot of European absinthes this way.

Bottle opened 1/09, review glasses louched 1/09.

Color: A very solid green, looks natural, not too deep, closer to emerald than olive. Clear and bright.

Louche: Excellent "oil trails" lead to a gradual clouding of the glass from the bottom, with a thin line of green at the top. Completely louched at just over 2:1. Color after louche is a marvelous olive green. I would've liked to see more roiled clouds than this produces, but it's impossible to fault the louche for that.

Aroma: Wormwood, a bit of mint, a bit of alcohol heat.

Flavor: I tried my Duplais Verte unsugared at first, and it was a bit too wormwood-forward for my palate. The bitterness isn't offensive, but it isn't as floral and welcoming as I prefer. Adding about a tablespoon (15mL) of simple syrup and watering to 3.5:1 helps considerably, but it still remains unbalanced. It's hard to discern the anise through the wormwood, though I do detect the hint of mint. It has great mouth-feel, quite creamy.

Finish: Long. Bitter, but in a pleasant way.

Overall: I'm disappointed in Duplais Verte, it's too wormwood-forward for my taste. It's obviously well made, but I'm just not a fan. I'll revisit the bottle every now and then to see how both it and I have changed, but for now, it sits at the back of the shelf.