Color: A peridot green quite darker than usual, very inviting.

Louche: So much orange and yellow. Thick and colorful. It stays very thick up to 1:5, then gets opalescent.

Aroma: Strong, with the typical Devoille alcohol carrying the holy trinity but also liquorice. Richer and more fruity and spicy than the usual Devoille offer. Satisfying. Aroma intensifies a lot with water.

Flavor: Complex, very complex. Holy trinity, liquorice, I’d also say Angelica and Calamus. Some spicyness, but not coming from star anise. An overall sweetness, in no way obtrusive.

Finish: It lingers long in every part of the mouth and nose and throat.

Overall: I tasted a sample sento to me by a friend, from a bottle opened in 2012, four years ago. This may explain why my notes are different from those of others. I think it’s a very satisfying drink, somehow half way between the current Centenaire and Svensk’s Grön Opal.

-Color-
Before Water:
Looks quite like vintage fuille morte golden brown with the tiniest bit of green tint. Often a sign of bitterness and/or overcoloring in a modern verte such as this, but I find it rather fetching.

After Water:
The louche brings out a thick green-tinged custard color. Fortunately after tasting, the color proved not to be a sign of an overwhelmingly bad process. Though it's likely related to the vegetal notes that might not be welcomed by every absintheur.

-Louche-
Nice oil trails that bunch up at the bottom and eventually go opaque. A line is formed, not right on top of the louching opaque portion, but rather in the middle of the clear portion- pretty cool! The encroaching fog is thick yet disciplined and takes awhile to finally engulf the last of the clear band. Final louche is thick but not excessively so.

-Aroma-
Rich brandy-like candied fruit with vegetal, coriander, and herbal notes.

-Flavor and Mouthfeel-
A fruity sweetness born from a marriage of the grape base and anise is very nice, along with some nice spicy, citric and herbal flavors. The vegetal notes are just enough to be interesting and there is a well balanced minty wormwood briskness beneath the candy overtones. I think I can detect star anise which makes the otherwise full, round mouthfeel excessively prickly.

-Finish-
The prickly feel from the star anise regrettably mars what would otherwise be non-cloyingly sweet and interestingly herbaceous finish.

-Overall-
This absinthe is pretty good, and I appreciate that it stands out somewhat from your average verte. At the same time, it might not be for everyone. Heavy grape base and cognac lovers I think will especially dig it. Were it not for the star anise factor, I’d prefer this over its Devoille sister, La Coquette.

Notes: 3.5:1, iced brouille, no sugar.

Appearance: A fairly unappealing deep amber fuille morte, with a slight olive cast when held to the light.

Louche: It's a bit on the thick side. The louched color is a somewhat gross yellow mud color, with some deep orange reflections.

Aroma: Smells like absinthe, but it seems like something ominous is lurking under the disguise of absinthe...like a deep, herby monster lurking beneath the surface of the glass.

Flavor/Mouthfeel: Reeeeeeeeally bold anise, and a distinct soapy flavor. I can almost describe it as being very prickly and sharp, with the parts of the damsel in distress and the hero being played by wormwood and fennel...sadly the anise-monster steals the show.

Finish: More heat, prickles, and soapiness. My tongue feels pretty spent at this point in time.

Overall: Much like a good deal of B-horror, I guess I'm just not sure WHY an absinthe would be produced like this.

Appearance: This carries an old “dead leaf” hue with just hints of green. The overall impression is of a dark topaz that appears heavy. It is otherwise clear and sediment free.

Louche: The louche is on the heavy side, appearing thick and milky but not completely opaque. Plenty of the original color is still retained in the louche, which is otherwise monotone.

Aroma: Curious forward tones of coriander, mint, lemon balm, and star anise show up with strength. The spice and citrus notes play dominantly. There is a bit of a mentholated note. The overall smell comes across as herbaceous and heavy.

Flavor: The star anise, spice, and mentholated components show up in force. A citrus undertone and floral wormwood are present but unbalanced and in the background. There is also a curious astringency on the sides of my tongue. The heaviness reminds me of other absinthes that are often compared to salad dressing or gravy.

Finish: A slightly creamy and spiced flavor appears but is quickly diminished by the mentholated astringency which dominates the finish.

Overall: This absinthe has everything that it should but somehow in all the wrong ways. The star anise and mentholated flavors need to take a bow and exit, as they get in the way of everything else. I see where this was heading, and I like that direction, but I feel that the result was completely off the intended mark.

Time of seduction has come.

I have been given the following absinthe upon my arrival in Switzerland. I had lotsa expectations, which failed.

What will fool you? The vintage coloure revered by the Extrait d'absinthe worshippers of the yore, the turbulent louche of Pernods, Bergers and beyond.

And here the game is over. Apart that, it is just stronger version of Soixante cinq whih seems to be just the diluted version of L'E.

Crappy wine alcohol, obtrusive pontica, grassy amd one dimensional in the vein of Devoille's works.

Better get La Coquette or Verte de Fougerolles. Better get Verte de Fougerellose at all.