This absinthe has come a long way since batch #4, particularly regarding the color, which is now a nice shade of peridot, although it could be a bit more vibrant.

The nose is still a bit dominated by the Pisco base, and this carries through into the flavor, but I happen to really to enjoy the buttered rum ester that it imparts into the absinthe, and I find that it really works well with the herbs. Those herbs seem to be of very good quality, although the wormwood is not of the standout variety, like the Pontarlier, or the Piedemont used in L'Italienne.

The louche is very nice, thick,and gradual although there isn't the volcanic snow-globe action seen in the best of them. The mouthfeel is very creamy, and substantial, however, and the flavor, and finish are hearty, and put me in mind of rum toddies. This is my definitive winter absinthe, except perhaps for my favorite Berger clone.

Todd plans to do a little further rectification of the base once the present barrels are depleted, and I really look forward to tasting whether that allows the herbage to shine through a bit more in future batches.

Kudos to him for being so receptive to suggestions given to him on the forums, and I wish more distillers, who are relatively unfamiliar with the creation of absinthe, would follow his lead.

Color: A nice green/yellow color. I keep mine in a closed cabinet but imagine sunlight would cause more of the yellow to come out over time. Very pretty to look upon.

Louche: The louche is one of the things I really enjoy about this absinthe - nice and thick. The louching process is also fun to watch but perhaps everything clouds up a bit too slowly. Almost like the show is over before I have time to fully admire it - but the resulting louche is too gorgeous to find much fault here. Resulting color is a very light green. Very delicate and nearly glowing in the right lighting conditions. Again, gorgeous.

Aroma: During the louching process, the aroma is something that actually strikes me more than the visuals. As the absinthe begins to cloud, the smell just billows into the air around you and it is quite appealing. I love this about Leopolds.

Flavor: I fear that I'm not experienced enough yet to discern and individualize many of the botanicals used in absinthe. The flavor is a definite winner though - the aroma almost provides a sneak at the coming taste experience. It is altogether pleasant and full and I find myself judging other absinthes by this one... perhaps a bit too harshly.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is substantial and creamy. Definitely not a watery absinthe!

Finish: There is a nice numbing sensation with this one that tends to linger a bit. It really does call to most of the senses and that is something I look for in a good absinthe. A well-rounded, fully-engaged experience!

Overall: I love how Leopold Bros. writes the batch number on every bottle. I enjoy their gin as well, and they seem to number absolutely everything. This review was written while imbibing a sample of batch #53 but I have also had #48 and #52 and all seem quite consistent, from my recollection. As of the time of this writing, it is my absolute favorite absinthe!

Color: Very pretty and olive in the bottle with a little bit of swirling "sediment", although it's more like a teensy bit of a dark green dust. In the glass, it's a clear, very pale citrine color.

Louche: I would give half points here if I could (3.5). The Leopold has always louched relatively thin for me, and after being fully diluted will build to a more opaque louche after about 5 or 10 minutes of it resting. There is some translucent layering, and a slight opalescence in color, while maintaining some good green qualities. It should be noted that the thinness of the louche in no way effects the texture of the absinthe. I find most of the time thin louche = watery feel, but this is certainly not the case here.

Aroma: This is packed with nose-tickling anise, a sweet note and some wormwood, a mentholated minty aroma, and something nice and floral that I'm not familiar with. It also has a nice little alcohol-heat kick.

Flavor: Very balanced and nice, a good hint of alcohol flavor (but not at all in a bad way.) Nothing in the flavor is too forward or overpowering, all playing nicely with each other.

Finish: Warm and nice in the back corners of my mouth. It has a tasty licorice finish (like if black licorice cut out the heavy tar flavor and replaced it with freshness and sugar), with a really great freshness from the melissa.

Overall: This review is of a bottle of batch 21 that I just picked up, which means the bottle itself is a little older, as I had a bottle of batch 30 nearly a year ago. As always, I mixed this without sugar, and it becomes nicely balanced a little closer to 4:1, eliminating a little more of the alcohol bite that is present at lower dilutions. It took a week or so after opening and having a glass or two before it really rounded itself out. This is a nice absinthe to have on hand, definitely worth picking up a bottle if possible.

*Revisited and edited after several bottles of this absinthe.

Batch 25
Served at 3:1, and 4:1 no sugar needed here, but I enjoyed it with sugar as well.
The floral elements really open up at 4:1

Color: Medium crystal clear peridot. Very pretty and natural green. Has stayed green for months and months in the bottle with no fading.

Louche: A slow smoky build from the bottom up with clear thick layers, melding together nicely at the end.

Aroma: Clean, inviting and yummy. Wormwood, anise and light spice in that order.
It filled the room while the louche was forming.

Flavor: A very strong, but tasty wormwood right in the front... Anise, fennel and spice follow... It is sweet, lightly spicy, wonderfully herbal, and a ping of citrus. Certainly a top American offering.


Finish: Nice light, tangy finish. . A lingering citrus and spice. Very nice.
Clean and crisp.

Overall: A really good offering, and a great absinthe if you like a wormwood forward profile. Very well-crafted for certain. I'm glad I bought two bottles!

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!