Color- Very rich golden green with slight amber tones. Deep and inviting with no sediment.

Louche- No swirly clouds or crazy layering. Extremely slow transition due to the use of quality green anise, in my opinion. Beautiful color when louched. It consists of gold and greens.

Aroma- Very flowery and perfumy. It’s like nothing I’ve ever smelled before. I get a whiff of anise, fennel and a Chinese spice I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s lavender and velvety throughout. This is outstanding.

Flavor- I get a good dose of green anise and a mixture of more flowers and perfume. Not an overpowering floral taste but a flavor that compliments the basic flavors of absinthe. It has a real feminine taste but it maintains assertiveness as others have noted. Powdery flavors transition to a peppery wormwood bite at the back of the tongue. The wormwood used is quality and the flavor is crisp.

Finish- This drink makes my mouth happy. Anise, flower and spicy notes are in full bloom at finish. They last pretty long. Only a small amount of tongue numbing.

Overall- I really like this absinthe. Definitely in my top 3. Everything is in balance. The transitioning of flavors is very unique. However, this may not appeal to everyone as it’s unconventional compared to most others on the market. If you’re looking for more floral flavors check this out. It is very distinctive and classy.

Notes- Louched with 3.5 parts water. This is the 1st edition of L'Italienne. Use a REALLY slow and cold drip in order to coax out the louche.

Score update on 2/21/10- In fairness, I changed the 'overall' score from 5 to 4.

Colour is beautiful and flawless. Sadly, L'Italienne belongs to small minority of absinthes being so properly coloured and having such a traditional tinge.

It contains enough of anethole buddies to louche in a nice semi-translucent manner, so let it be.

Aroma is really intense, both neat and louche, very fragrant, strong, assertive but delicate at the same time. And it smells of herbs, not of anise foremost.

Flavour is very complex, at 1:2.5 (the perfect ratio for that batch), builds gradually and everythings is slowly revealing its charm.

Finish is long, spicy, wormwoody and citrusy.

Overall, that particular batch needs neither critique nor feedback. Those who happen to have it, should re-think why absinthes they had in such a high regard previously, are simply weak when compared to L'Italienne #2

Here is a case where I feel that the whole adds up to more than the sum of the parts.

Yes, the color is yellowish, but only because its creator, Steffano Rossoni, had a vision of a super-floral, and perfumy absinthe, and the mystery herb that contributed those wondrous qualities also happened to be responsible for the lack of a peridot, or emerald hue. IMO, I'd much rather sniff that glorious aroma, and taste that profound perfume, and sacrifice some of the visuals.

As far as the louche is concerned, yes, it is on the thin side, but only (once again) to allow that perfuminess to hold sway over the palate, and the addition of more anise would have destroyed much of that delicate floral balance. That being said, I found the louche to be quite adequate for the style, and nowhere near as thin as those of the Roquette, or Belle Amie.

Some drinkers have been put off by the extreme perfuminess, but I find it to be exquisite, and there is an accompanying dryness (this is one of the more austerely dry absinthes I've ever tasted) that further emphasizes the aforementioned attributes.

For my money, this is the finest commercial absinthe (along with L'Artianale) to be produced, to date.

Color: A mixture of light olive and gold. Free of any sediment or haze. Attractive and natural looking.

Louche: Builds slowly from the bottom up, but lacks the trails and layering action that a superior louche provides. Doesn't get too thick, which I like. It was thick enough with an attractive milky green hue characteristic of a good verte. It doesn't obtain that opalescence though. Much like the Belle Amie, a slow drip and ice cold water is essential for getting a decent louche.

Aroma: Neat the aroma is wonderful. As soon as I opened the bottle I knew I was going to like this absinthe a lot. It possesses a delightful floral bouquet that dances all over your olfactory senses. It gave me deja-vu to a time standing in my great grandmother's garden in the spring long ago. The anise takes a back seat. Very clean, very floral. Not room filling, in fact it stays mostly in the glass. For this, and for the fact that I found the N-O and Belle Amie more complex I granted this a 4 instead of a 5.

Flavor: Delicious. That floral bouquet exploded onto your palate while that Italian Wormwood imparts a desirable bitterness. There is a strong "bite" in there that I enjoyed. I found that it contrasted some of the more delicate floral notes well. The only imbalance is that the anise plays second fiddle, but it works well in this absinthe. An offering like this makes me re-think my stance about the pre-dominant flavor in an absinthe having to be anise.

Finish: Long and enjoyable. The wormwood imparts a slight bitterness while that creamy fennel finally makes it's presence known. IMO that's how fennel should work in an absinthe. It imparted a slight numbing sensation, which I found desirable.

Overall: This is one of my favorite offerings to date. I have a feeling this stuff has good aging potential, if one has the willpower to do so. I look forward to trying more of Stefano's creations.

L'Italienne is a pretty and deep gold. Right upon opening the bottle, this absinthe's aroma is splendid. Neat in the glass, it does sear the nose with alcohol some, but otherwise suggests a fruity blend of wormwood and a honey-like character. There is a fresh anise, but it is in more of a supporting role. I did a slow drip to a 1:4 ratio, as any less water produced a too-vague louche. Louched, the aroma becomes stronger, but not too different than before; I think L'Italienne laid its cards on the table already. It isn't quite room-filling, but that shouldn't detract from how nice it smells.

L'Italienne is light on anise and misses out on what likely would have been a nice, creamy mouth feel, but it makes up for it with its simply superb flavor. It is difficult to single out individual herbs in this absinthe, even the anise and wormwood; they all blend quite seamlessly. Perhaps it is this particular wormwood that doesn't leave much of an enduring finish, though it is wonderful while it lasts.

This absinthe is already one of my favorites for the quality of its nose and the harmony of its taste. I think if there were more wormwood, the finish could stay with me longer, and that would be an improvement. I also believe it could benefit in mouth feel and aroma from a greater portion of anise. But these are minor personal quibbles.