Note: This review is of batch 21. I had batch 30 before writing reviews and it seemed just slightly better than this batch in about every area.

Color: The color is a natural green. Bright but also very clear. I tend to like the unlouched color a bit darker than this.

Louche: The louche is actually pretty slow on this one. It starts out very thin and gets a bit better if it is let to sit. Still too thin after a swirl even but only by a bit.

Aroma: The aroma is pleasant and carries a bit of heat to it. The heat doesn't override the herb bill and some mint can be detected at higher ratios. Leopold Bros. Verte is not too complex, a straightforward smell.

Flavor: At lower ratios there is mainly a sweet grape base and alcohol. At 4:1 the taste evens out and reveals the basic herbs. This tastes just like it smells; it doesn't seem too complex but not the most simple either. A good taste that doesn't disappoint nor surprise.

Finish: There is a slight mouth warmth and the finish sweetens up a bit. The flavor doesn't linger for too long and is mainly comprised of wormwood and anise.

Overall: This is an excellent absinthe to get your bearings on. There is probably a variation between batches as I remember batch 30 being slightly better in all aspects. A fine absinthe for anyone wanting a simple yet tasty and authentic drink.

Color - It may seem repetitive to describe it as a clear, medium peridot, but that's essentially what it is, with just the barest trace of gold.

The aroma is pleasing to me in the way that many of the American offerings are, and many of the European offerings are not: there is no tang of grassiness or vegetable matter, and the spiciness is enjoyable without being overwhelming.

I found the louche to be a touch oily and not as active or long-lasting as some, but it produces a beautiful aqua glow at the surface.

The taste is clean and refreshing without being vapid. The bite of the wormwood nips at your tongue, but it isn't so intense as to overpower the slightly spicy mixture of fennel and possibly coriander, with the sweetness of fennel. However, be sure to not overwater this absinthe, as it's easy to do. 3.5 to 1 seemed just right to me.

The finish provided an appropriately mild numbness that lets you enjoy each subsequent sip.

Additional note:

I bought this bottle in November of 2009 and finished it up about a month ago. While it is not available through my preferred vendor (DUNY), it is well worth seeking out. Since there's some confusion about the "overall" category, I'll clarify that I'm using it to balance out the rating average, and it's not indicative of how I feel about the absinthe overall (that would be more of a 4).

A 40ml dose louched with 160ml chilled water, unsweetened for this review.

Aroma (pre-louche): The aroma is completely free of any alcohol harshness. The grape foundation is allowed to shine through a spicy vegetal aroma, the combination reminds me a lot of frehly opened
orsnge flavored dark chocolate. This is a really wonderful aroma.
Very smooth and inviting. Whether or not it smells like "the ideal absinthe" is likely a matter for more knowledgable discussion, but
it definitely smells just wonderful.

Color (pre-louche): This is a little darker than I believe is optimal, peridot with a tinge of brown/dark olive, but not unpleasant.

Louche: The louche forms evenly, with wicked and thick "refractive artifacts" that bring on the cloudiness gradually. There is not a billowing of fog from the bottom as much as an "onset" which becomes the "always expected but startingly so" beatiful green tinged louche. There is less of the "meniscus" effect than in some, but it is still evident. A thick, beautiful colored louche that you will want to see
over and over.

Post-louche aroma: Very clean, herbal with clearer notes of fennel, wormwood and anise. The anise is evident, but not overpowering. There are some nice, delicate flowery notes, very pleasant.

Flavor: A distinctly herbal flavor, very fresh. The wormwood is
evident at the core of a spectrum of flowery, spicy and herbal flavor.
Fennel is very evident up front. A very nice anise that acts not so
much as a centerpiece for the flavor but as a "mesh" that holds it
together: subdued but definitely present. The aroma indicates a
natural sweetness that is maybe more psychological, but I'd say this
is one that could go unsweetened very easily.

Finish: I like to dilute to 12-13%, and because of this the finish will be less prolonged than with a lesser dilution. But it also seems like the prominent notss in the finish are easier to pick out. Even at this dilution, this has a wonderful fading of the fennel and herbal mist, with a wormwood flourish beneath a rising anise note, which gradually diminishes.

Overall: This has got to be at least a "4". It is a wonderful aroma, a very nice louche, a pleasant and complex flavor that has unique aspects.
Is it worth a premium price over, say, Lucid? Not an exhorbitant premium, I think, but it is absolutely in a higher tier: a more intricate and delicate set of flavors that takes full advantage of
the grape-based pedigree.

Batch 71. The first time I opened up this bottle and had some, I remember the grape-base being a little over-powering and not to my taste. Trying it tonight tells me that aging is very good for this absinthe-- whatever it was that was throwing me off isn't apparent now, and this is a really good absinthe. When I kill this bottle, I'll probably try to replace it with another one from Leopold Bros.

Appearance: About the only problem with it IMO. It's clear, pale green... but a little too pale for my preferences to rate a "4".

Louche: Excellent. Thick, full, but with nice highlights and good translucent shine-through.

Aroma: Pre-louche I just get hot, medicinal alcohol, but it's after-louche that counts... and then this is the best Absinthe for aroma I've had so far. If "Absinthe as air-freshener" is your thing, Leopold is your brand. :)

Flavor/Mouthfeel: Superb. Clean, complex, intricate, interesting... worth slowly savoring and enjoying down to the end of the glass.

Finish: clean and full, pure enjoyment.

Overall: This is a very well-made absinthe, worth appreciating almost any time.

The aroma is fruity and with a hint of citrus along with the expected Anise and Wormwood. The flavor again has a very pleasant note of fruitiness that is paired very well with the spiciness of the wormwood. The Anise is balanced well with all of these other flavors for a magnificently complex drink that is my go to brand when buying locally.