Natural green, bright and clear color. The louch is slow, and milky green, rising slowly from the bottom like a cloud of smoke, gradually thickening to opaque. After drip the color is pale but unmistakably green, great shading, opaque. The aroma is very smooth and well balanced. Lightly herbal, and manages to blossom very effectively. A smooth balance of creaminess with bite from the base. A soft, lingering numbness follows every sip that rolls over the tongue, without affecting the taste. It has a smooth, well balanced taste.
Overall this is obviously a benchmark absinthe. Well crafted with quality ingredients. It’s worth drinking just to watch the louche, and enjoy the taste. While not my favorite Jade it is a worthy addition.

This taste has been sponsored by a generous sample, louched with slowly dripped, ice cold water and no sugar.

Aroma pre-louche: A nice, smooth blend of wormwood and fennel. Very soft and floral. In the glass the nose is slightly of alcohol, but not unpleasant, with a sweetness that tames it.

Color: Perfect crystal peridot. Very natural. Perfect.

Louche: The water trails dance around very slowly. Much slower than any absinthe I've had previously. This lasts for a minute or so before the whole volume just cascades into complete opalescence, leaving a thing layer at the top that eventually melts away. The aroma is weak during the louche, but provides the room with a cleansing sweetness that is not overpowering but noticeable. The aroma when finished and sniffed right from the rim of the glass is very sweet and well supported from within, if that makes any sense. The color on completion is a perfectly authentic shade of pale, milky jade.

Flavor: First off, the mouth feel is exceptional. Very creamy. At first something very "woody" jumps out, and I presume this might be the best example of a forward wormwood flavor I've had yet. This lingers on the tongue and throughout the mouth as a very subtly sweet character appears and quickly cuts off any hint of bitterness. I find the anise to be only a supporting character here, allowing fennel and wormwood to bring their unique qualities to the front and sit on the tip of the tongue.

Overall: There is something nostalgic about this absinthe. This is the most balanced and well formed absinthe I've had. It really emphasizes the importance of each ingredient to the overall flavor. This is a fantastic absinthe!

The color is a beautiful peridot green. Clear, no sediment

The louche is probably the best I've seen. It starts off with a slow, snow-globe like flurry and the particles begin to explode like fireworks from the bottom of the glass (Ok I just miss the summer time 4th. of July festivities here in the windy city- it's freezing right now)

The anise is not as dominant as in other absinthes I've enjoyed. I love the aroma. I really get the fennel and I get this Italian sausage reminder when I smell it. Is it room filling? No I don’t think so but I don’t have a sensitive nose either.

The anise is slightly more in the forefront during tasting- along with a delicate arrangement of fennel & wormwood. I totally get the "baby powder" thing too! I like that. Pretty creamy mouthfeel. Just right.

The finish is quite similar to the flavor. It then dies down to some tongue numbing; just enough to remind you that you're drinking booze. I really get coriander on the finish as well. The finish may be a tad quick. I love the flavors that linger in this after indulging- I wish it would last longer.

Overall, I'd like to say that after getting this, I get home from work on a Friday night, started to pour and it made my week. This puts a big smile on my face. Quality

Note:
I’m still developing my palette for absinthe; I’ve tried about six decent brands so far. The tastings were enjoyed with 3 parts water and a half sugar cube.

Update: 9/17/09

I just cracked open another bottle of this and there may be some aging improvement from my first bottle. The aroma is a lot more tobacco-like and chocolaty/vanilla like a crème brulee. No difference that I can tell from the taste. Still #1 in my book, even after the other 14 or so absinthes I’ve tried. No change in scoring.

Colour: pleasant to look at, striving towards Duplais’ jaune, could be darker or getting amber.



Louche: decent, slowly-forming but ends up too chalky and whitish.



Aroma: strong, funky at times, anisy



Flavour: spicy, balanced but not creamy, lacks initial wormwood attack.



Finish: too spicy, gets a bit blunt towards end.



Overall: apart from louche-action there is no resemblance to Pernod fils whatsoever. That batch from which the sample has been given to me lacks definitely something.

This was the first CO I had the pleasure of sampling, and I have always had at LEAST one unopened bottle in stock since that time. I've loved it since the first taste so hopefully we won't have TOO biased a review.



Color---clear peridot green. A bit of variance from bottle to bottle. Not enough for it to be an issue for me.



Aroma--delicious, the grape base is fairly prominent. After water, opening up and revealing a compelling complexity. Makes the room smell delicious.



Louche--very nice. Fairly quick to form, but still possessed of the theatrical buildup I have come to expect. (Actually this is the stuff that showed me what to expect!) Nice opalescence, green turning to almost white with blue overtones. Amber as well if you look at it right......



Flavor--nicer than very nice. A few things going on, spiciness, floralness, and just a bit of bite. Sweet, but not much like candy--well, not enough to put me off. The aforementioned complexity reaches its full level of compellingness, provoking one to sniff ever deeper. Despite said Complexity, this is one smooth ride. I like to slosh it around in my mouth before swallowing. Nice Mouthfeel, just creamy enough without getting all tonguenumb and heavy.



Finish--long and lingering. Crisp and clean and an invitation to another Glass. I'll have one!



Overall-- This Absinthe is an excellent example of the Distillers' Art. It is like taking a scenic ride in a vintage auto (deusenberg..?) with leather seats and burl wood dashboard thru a verdant valley in full bloom. Buy it, drink it, stockpile it, and then move next to me. In that order.