Batch 28
Prepared at both a 1:1 ratio with sugar.

Initial impressions: I found the bottle for the Leopold Bros. quite pretty to look at, the way it tapers being very pleasing to the eye. I’m also quite fond of the home printed look of the label and found myself quite impressed by the fact that the batch number is hand printed on the bottle.

Color: This offering is a quite gorgeous, clear shade of peridot. Quite natural looking and enticing. To be quite honest I spent a good amount of time simply admiring the color of the absinthe in the bottle before I even opened it.

Louche: I found the louche effect to be very entertaining. It starts off slowly, with plenty of oil trails swirling in the glass, and once it begins to turn milky it happens rather quickly, becoming a very pretty golden jade color. Overall once the louche is complete the drink is a pretty opalescent color with a clear layer sitting right at the top that can be seen when held up to the light.

Aroma: Upon initially opening the bottle for the first time this absinthe has a very pleasant anise fragrance. It is strong, without being overpowering. After the bottle had a chance to breathe for a few days I was able to pick out more citrus, lime I think, and slightly floral notes. Once water is added the anise fragrance opens up a little more and more of the spicy notes can be found. I found as I smelled the fragrance I could almost taste the flavors associated with the scents, and any drink that can do that is good in my humble opinion.

Flavor: The first flavor that hit’s the tongue is anise, with a slight bit of the wormwood bitterness. The citrus flavor comes through towards the middle and I can almost swear I taste a bit of floral and something that resembles honey combined that I’ve decided must be clover blossom, though it could just be me. At the end you get more of the wormwood and a spicy, almost peppery flavor that I figure must be coriander. Overall a very enticing flavor combination.

Finish: The anise flavor lingers in the mouth quite a while. There is a bit of coating and tongue tingling from the spiciness of the coriander, but it is not at all unpleasant, and while the wormwood is still present the bitterness isn’t overpowering.

Overall: A very good and I would say traditional absinthe, though I have no real basis for comparison at the moment. I found it to be a quite enjoyable, even delightful introduction to the world of absinthe and look forward to procuring another bottle as soon as possible. In fact, I find myself wishing I had bought two in the first place!