The absinthe pours a nice, rich olive with shots of gold through it. Clear. Before water it smells light and alcoholic. Citrusy, maybe a tad perfumey.

It has a very full and attractive louche. It finishes an opalescent green-white with hints of gold and blue. It meets my ideal for what a louche should be with lots of texture and gradient but without being dishwatery.

The aroma after water is sweet, powdery, and citrusy. Floral wormwood with a less aggressive anise presence than the louche would indicate. EVerything is in a very nice balance.

The flavour is bright and soft at the same time. Very lemony with a hint of grassiness. Anise is nice and full without being obtrusive. Wormwood is both floral and minty. Not a ton of earthiness, more sunny. Maybe a tad overly numbing.

Lemonbalm and anise decay into a classic character during the finish. Wormwood leaves a slight mouth-watering bitterness as the anise fades into an indistinct, fruity character.

I'm pretty happy with this absinthe. I think the loudness of the citrus quality might be obscuring some complexities, which is too bad as it's a very enjoyable absinthe but could be even better.

Lot 1803-10 2009

Color: Not quite Peridot. More of a yellowish green, but still attractive.

Louche: Quick thick, but in a good way. Opalescent with touches of green and white.

Aroma: Citrusy and minty with hints of anise and very nice wormwood.

Flavor: At 3.5:1 - Quite interesting. Fruity with anise and just a hint of wormwood. Enjoyable, but lacking in depth. No harsh bitterness that some others had reported from prior batches.

Finish: Quite light on the finish, but tasty and enjoyable. Sweet and 'juicy fruity' but recedes a bit too quickly. Not so quick as to merit a 2 though.

Overall: If the flavor was a bit deeper and more complex, this could be really great. As it is, it's still quite enjoyable.