Clear but vivid light green appearance, looks great in my glass. The louche happens fast unless you pour/drip very slow. Thick louche. The aroma is probably the stand-out characteristic of this absinthe, for me. Upon opening the bottle I'm hit with a very distinct, strong smell, like a very nice perfume. Really, it's very fruity, probably the most fruity smelling absinthe I've ever had. It smells delicious. Even stronger during louche.

For me the taste does deviate from the quintessential absinthe profile, in the direction of pepper, and a little hint of soapiness. The wormwood/anise are there for sure, and I believe I can detect the grape base. When I say it 'deviates', I don't mean drastically, I just mean that this absinthe is a bit unique, but not *too* unique, and not in a bad way. The soapiness I mentioned probably sounds like I'm being harsh, but it's really subtle, and it doesn't detract from my ability to enjoy the drink. I don't know if this brand has coriander, and I'm not even sure if I'm one of the people who tastes that as soapy, so I can't say what I'm tasting here that's giving me those notes. Note that I gave the flavor a 4, because I think it tastes pretty good. Without the slight soapiness I'd probably give it a 4.5 or 5 though.

Mouthfeel is pretty creamy to me. Nice. I really enjoy the finish as it lasts for a while and brings me back full circle to the fruity aroma that started the experience.

My bottle is from batch 101.

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.

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.