*Edited after enjoying a new batch of Marteau, made in 2012. My first review was from a bottle made in 2008.

Served Initially at 3.5.1 with 1 sugar, I took this up to 4:1 with no sugar, which is how I enjoy it most.

Color: A clear, natural light green.

Louche: Developed slowly and evenly with thick swirling trails, smoky puffs and clouding, nice clear layering, ending in a wonderful translucent louche. Just the right thickness so light had fun as it bent through the glass. This new Marteau seems to have a slightly thicker louche, which I like.

Aroma: Clean, lovely and inviting. Fresh and crisp. Hints of baking spices. Some of the herbal punch has faded from the previous batch, which for me is an improvement. This aroma is more traditional and classic of a French verte.

Flavor: Herbaceous and balanced. Spice, light mint, herbals and citrus. It is tough to pull out all the elements one by one, as there is so much going on. The previous batch had a punchy powerful herbal edge that was a bit grassy and vegetal... Bottom line: New batch= balanced, more traditional, and quite tasty. I feel it is hands down an improvement in flavor.

Finish: Clean and soft. Tingly unfolding layers ending in a powdery spice and light citrus. Lasting linger. Satin-like mouthfeel. I also am finding a gentle pull and build that is more enjoyable in this new bottle.

INTRODUCTORY NOTE: I found this Absinthe best experienced at 4.5:1 with no sugar. Thanks go out to the generous provider of this sample, for review purposes.


Color - 5/5 : Crystal clear, light, radiant peridot. No flaws, beautiful.

Louche - 4/5 : Started with a slow icy drip and watched oily bursts begin to pool at the bottom. Around .5:1, very beautiful snow-globe effect. Layering beginning at 1:1 and fully louched at 3-3.5:1. Louche is a tad thin (balancing the flavor w/ more water can exacerbate this thinness).

Aroma - 4/5 : While louching, alcoholy. Fennel on the front of the nose, alpiny-mint with a hint of a floral bouquet just behind that. Louched, very balanced, A.a. smells so good!

Flavor - 4/5 : Somewhat of a strong alcohol-heat presence, even at 4:1. As mentioned, balancing this out w/ more water is only deleterious to the louche and finish, so pick your poison. This is indeed a very spicy and complex drink, the flavors of the herbs are dancing round, here. Natural sweetness wraps things up.

Finish : 4/5 - Spicy, sweet/floral, spicy again, in that order. Nice, smooth sweetness after swallow, then a bitterness on the back of the tongue, and some peppery heat. Despite having a tad thin of a louche, the mouthfeel is excellent.


Overall : 4/5 - Very, very good drink. Drink this one only with the time to contemplate it. My only qualm is the amount of detectable heat, if that mellowed with some aging, this would be a top-shelf

Final weighted score: 4.16

Light emerald green, a lovely color. The louche starts as a faint cloud and then gets denser, and then very dense, slow and exact layering. Color after water is a green with lighter green tints. The aroma is very clean with varied herbal alpine notes, anise and citrus. After louche, a pleasant alpine aroma with strong after hints of wormwood, faint citrus. The mouth feel is velvety and smooth with a slight numbing. The taste is herbal with a very pronounced presence of wormwood, with additional wormwood notes, minty, complex and floral. The after taste is lingering, soft and smooth, spicy presence with final wormwood. The wormwood is exceptional. Its contribution in combination with the anise is excellent. It is obvious that this is a very well made product.

Color: The pics show an olive green goodie that I would definitely score highly, the one I have is pale green. What is going on?

Louche: delicate, nice and natural. Could be thicker just a bit.

Aroma: intriguing, interesting is the word. Not off-putting. Something new and unique. It might be the orris root-something like woody/rooty veronica with a dash of melissa

Flavor: initially, it is a bit too heavy, but then opens up. Wormwood is accentuated enough, so is hyssop, anethole have their discrete say, so it is good that it is not anise bomb, after all.

Finish: spiciness, rounded, slowly developing.

Overall: Traditional Pontarlier it is not, but a Pontarlier with some intriguing enhancements. If that was Gwydion’s aspiration, then it has been achieved. Of course, people will appreciate of it more, when its price is not that prohibitive.

The Marteau is a very, very nice absinthe. It begins a natural olive green and louches to a very attractive jade, with golden undertones. The louche builds very gradually, with the expected heavy "oil trails" and associated visual effects. Before water, the aroma is surprisingly faint and indistinct, but as the louche forms the absinthe releases a wonderful and complex herbal fragrance. Indeed this may be the nicest scent from any glass I've ever louched.

The flavor is likewise very excellent, blending the herbal complexity of the aroma with an underlying bitterness that I found very enjoyable. There is also a spiciness there, but not too much. The finish is quite complex, lingering, and interesting, and I have learned that a little extra water (say 4:1 rather than my usual 3-3.5:1) eliminates most of the grassiness that occurs in the finish.

This absinthe ranks both at the top of US products and can stand up with anything coming from Europe as well. It is good just minutes out of the bottle, and I expect it will become even better with time.