JL 1901 March 2012 bottling

Appearance neat is a beautiful golden shade of amber green.
Louched it becomes a very antique looking yellow green opaque light jade.
Aroma neat is the smooth base shining through with a hint of vanilla and spices. The addition of ice cold water brings heavy anise and hearty florals. With a minty herbal goodness and a musky scent that cannot be mistaken for anything but a Jade. Powerful and smooth. Superb.
Fully prepared the flavor is an excellent herbal bliss with nice hot pepper and powdery overtones. And something akin to butternut squash with the everdeveloping aroma surrounding it all. A very puntuated and smooth mouthfeel. This is one you can really sink your teeth into.
Couldn't be happier.

The finish is rich and smooth with a lingering 'afterglow' that is pleasant and prickly and fills your senses with a good dose of happy. Slight numbing on the tongue after a minute or so but just enough to remind you that you have more waiting in the glass.

Overall the JL 1901 is a wonderful absinthe that takes you back in time to what i believe absinthe of a hundred years ago would taste like. A very pleasant beverage that I believe most would enjoy.

kinda pale neat.

Great Louche (must be a Ted thing)

Nice, bold aroma

Delicious flavor, bold, creamy, balanced, and very tasty

Great finish, creamy and complex.

I could have sworn I had tasted this already because of of the great detailed reviews here. It more than lives up to the hype and adoration.

Edited to bump appearance to 4, since it is clear, bright and natural. wish i could give aroma a 4.5, or 4.49. Better than just good, but I've encountered enough abstinthes with a more enticing aroma to give it a 5. Still over all this absinthe is great, and among my favorites.

Gave the aroma a desreved 4.5.

Color: PF 1901 is a light green and a bit yellow-gold at the edges. It is very clear and bright. It seems a little too pale but otherwise perfect.

Louche: This has a quick louche and is very active with early oil swirls. There is a nice gradient and also a unique final pop when the louche finishes. It has a nice thickness and is yellow-gold with a apparent translucence when held up to the light.

Aroma: PF 1901 smells a bit flowery and spiced but not too complex. It appears to be very well balanced and not too heated at all.

Flavor: There is a nice balance of flavor here. The wormwood is up front first leading to other flavors. It is earthy and robust but also simple. At a higher ratio a bit of floral flavor is noted but nothing game changing. It's not weak in flavor at all but it is a tad simple.

Finish: There is a good length to this finish and it sweetens up a lot. The wormwood rounds out the flavor and it numbs the tongue just a bit but not too heavily. Very pleasing and relaxing.

Overall: This is a simple yet deep absinthe. The finish is a high point and the louche is very pretty. This is not complex or surprising in any way but still a very solid offering.

Bottled on Date Sept. 2010.

Color: Nice, natural green with hints of gold and amber. It’s a little pale, but not at all unpleasant.

Louche: Beautiful, opalescent louche, very turbulent and rolly. The color is lovely, with pale yellows and turquoise.

Aroma: Somewhat spicy, lightly flowery with something that reminds me of jello mix. Somewhat citrusy, with an earthy dirt scent.

Flavor: The flavor is smooth and very rounded, with a nice wormwood taste. It’s very reminiscent of something but I can’t place just what that something is. It feels familiar, like I’m about to remember something, and then the feeling fades, much like the flavor, disappearing a bit too quick.

Finish: The finish gets very sweet, and lingers for a long while. It feels like it’s going somewhere, but it never quite reaches where it was headed, like a story that trails off.

Overall: I like this absinthe, but it gives me the sensation of nostalgia of something…I just can’t place what that something is…it’s like trying to remember a song or place. It tastes nice, but I wasn’t blown away, and the quality certainly wasn’t leaps and bounds above other absinthes also trying to emulate this style that I’ve tried. It definitely gave me good bearing on the other attempts at the Pernod Fils style absinthes enough to appreciate how near/far they were also able to get to that style. I do feel that either my bottle was not very good or that it’s been a bit too overhyped, as it is not the most incredible absinthe I have ever tasted.

This is from the Sept. 2010 bottling.

I've spent a lot of time trying various ratios, and I've settled on 4:1 for my personal favorite. At less than this, I find the stronger elements overwhelming. With more water however, a sophisticated balance is reached.

Color: Natural, a lovely touch of light peridot green. Crystal clear.

Louche: Trails gave way slowly to clouds whisping up from the bottom in well defined layers. An inviting nice light green and white with flirty copper highlights. A wonderful opalescent louche.

Aroma: lovely, subtle, balanced and delicate. It filled the room as the louche formed. All elements blended so well together I couldn't wait to taste it.

Flavor: Strong earthy wormwood, anise and fennel are in a good balance. This is a masculine yet elegant absinthe. Spice and pepper mingled with a slight earthy flavor.

Finish: Lingering flavor elements build to a peak, pulling gently at you, opening up to a full delicious anise with feathery fading fennel on the exhale. Very very nice.

Overall: This is a solid, well-crafted absinthe. I find one sugar and 5:1 open it up and allow for the more subtle elements to reveal themselves. I've found it takes a bit of aging to be at its best.