Color is a bit light; pale with a hint of green but mostly dead leaf. Well within the legitimate range but I prefer a bit brighter hue. I give it a 4.

Louche forms (mostly) from the bottom.Well on the way to opacity at 1:1. The thin line at the top finally disappears around 1:5 or so. Thick but not completely opaque. Another 4.

Aroma--Before watering, pretty alcoholic and minty. A bit rough. After adding water it opens up a bit. Very prominent minty wormwood is evident; other factors are present but pretty seamlessly blended to this nose. I chalk this up to 5 years of aging. Exhaling after drinking yields a very nice wormwood flavor. 4.

The flavor is wormwoody as all get-out with a very minty subtext. This is what a wormwood-heavy absinthe is trying to be. Anise and fennel are clearly present, but by no means dominant. There is a bit of burny alcoholic heat. The origin of the base alcohol(grape, grain, whatever) is not evident. Dry and a bit tingly on the tongue. Marked as a 4, but if this thing would let me enter 4.5 that would be more to my liking.

The finish is long, lingering, and pleasant.The tongue tingles with a blunt dryness that somehow works. Not particularly layered, but a nice long smooth fade out to a peppery dry warm tongue. Again, I attribute this to aging. Also, I'd give it a 4.5 if I could.

Overall, an intriguing product. If I had discovered this when I first started drinking absinthe in earnest--back when Doubs Mystique was a frontrunner on my favorites list-- I would have been all over this one. Nowadays my tastes are a bit different(for the most part) but as I grow more knowledgeable about absinthe I am struck by the skill evident in this product and its unique flavour. Not having tasted it when it was fresh I cannot say for certain how well it has aged but it has clearly aged well. An easy 4 across the board.

Color: A light straw yellow.

Louche: Starts slowly but begins to cloud nicely with some good layering. Nice and thick, with a pale butter color.

Aroma: Very anise heavy while neat, but when louched it blossoms into a very pleasant mix of wormwood and fennel, with something leafy green and dusty scented.

Flavor: Very tart wormwood up front that's quite tasty, and a slight chalky sweetness.

Finish: A smooth and nice finish that's very crisp with a long sour feel paired with a melissa flavor.

Overall: I really enjoyed the wormwood flavor along with the "tangy" feel and texture.

Color: Straw yellow color with the tiniest bit of green. May have been aged a bit and subject to dead leaf. Very light on the color as well.

Louche: Good louche on this one. Not too active in oil trails but the clouds form evenly and well. A bit on the thick side when done and retains some of the previous straw color.

Aroma: Smells very nice. Something is in here that is hard to pick out. The trio dominates the smell of this one but there are some smells that peak my curiosity as to the recipe.

Flavor: Smooth and creamy with a nice covering of wormwood. Spicy notes hit the back of the tongue fairly quickly. Wormwood heavy but not in a bad way at all allowing the anise and fennel to show up nicely as well. A very pleasant flavor from this one, but short of a “wow!” reaction.

Finish: Lasts for a very decent time and ups both the spicyness and sweetness. A slight tart flavor develops after a short while but not too much. Intriguing.

Overall: This is a solid absinthe with a slightly wormwood heavy flavor profile and a unique tart finish. One that I would love to see on the market again, perhaps with a slight change to the color, or not dead leaf.

Color is weak, but natural. Deceiving as to the flavors inside.

Louche. OMG! aggressive and thick. Opalescence shmopalescence.

Aroma, weak neat, but powerful and balanced when louched

Flavor, creamy, complex, and delicious. Some smell/taste that it shares with WW, but not in a bad way.

excellent finish

Over all a great absinthe. To me the color is a minor quibble, aroma, Flavor and finish are awesome.

INTRODUCTORY NOTE: I enjoyed my sample at an approximate 3:1 ratio from an ice cold fountain of spring water, with a half cube sugar. The sample I was given had been at rest for at least 3 years now, properly stored. I think this may have had a positive effect on the previously reported heat, as there was none detectable, but possibly a negative effect on the color, more explained about that below.

COLOR: 4/5 - The color was green, with green highlights! There was no sign of sediment visible. The sample somewhat lacked that gem-like radiance, maybe an effect of aging, it did not shine with that illumination that would have pushed it into an Excellent rating. Still very, very acceptably pleasant.

LOUCHE: 5/5 - Very entertaining to watch! Slow oily trails that build with the first few splashes of cold water. These trails thicken and the swirling and layering in the drink brings out a stained-glass resemblance, with emulsion occurring thereafter, finishing to a pearlescent, opaque, minty-green. The spoon in my full glass was only visible about 3/4" beneath the surface.

AROMA: 4/5 - Quality herbs, and it is immediately noticeable upon first whiff of the cork/lid (this is how I get the best subtle whiff of straight liquor). Comments below represent opinion after louching.
Strong glorious wormwood front on the nose intro, backed by subtle fennel and sweet anise. Soft minty pontica. Attractive bouquet, but did not seem to perfume the area further than a foot or two from my glass, even during louche, hence I can't mark it as "expansive".

FLAVOR: 5/5 - Flavor very closely matched aroma. Well-executed, classic Pontarlier, which is exactly what I believe the creator was after. Quality coloring herbs gave the product a naturally floral tinge behind the strong presence of the holy trinity, with that aromatic A.a. in the driver's seat.

FINISH: 5/5 - Long-lasting wormwood bitterness perfectly balanced by fennel and anise, with some fruity piquancy on the back of the tongue. Satin finish to the louche that was very nice at 3:1, and I can only imagine it to be able to hold such a characteristic up to, if not beyond 4:1, but I like my drink a little strong. Flavor keeps going and going.

OVERALL: 5/5 - This is what I had envisioned the absinthe experience to be all about. The taste and aroma of this drink were captivating and engaging. Since I have sampled this absinthe, my repertoire has more than doubled, and this still remains a reference to me (and probably always will). I wish I were around for the inception of this brand, but consider myself extremely! lucky to have, through a very generous individual, been able to sample such a deserving spirit.