I was very impressed with this absinthe. I had expected it to be on the lighter side, so I dosed it at 3:1...wow, what a beautifully balanced melange of herbs and spices greeted me! I tasted lots of good green anise, and quality fennel, but also coriander (which I love), and melissa, which really adds a refreshing citric quality. There seemed to be couple of ancillary herbs I recognized as veronica, and, perhaps, genepi, and the finish was laced with a nice, bracing minty wormwood touch, although a tad more would have been ideal.

Certainly not an absinthe leaning towards the bitter (in fact, I think the addition of sugar here would definitely obfuscate some of the lovelier subtle nuances), but there is enough balance to avoid crossing over into the realm of cloying.

The color is a lovely peridot green...not the deepest I've ever seen, but very vibrant, and natural, and the louche was certainly lovely, slow to form, and swirling, nice and thick at 3:1, with much retention of the original green color.

The aroma was particularly savory, and spicy, both before, and after the louche. Perhaps not room filling, but certainly easily detectable from several feet away, and incredibly pleasant. The taste matched the aroma perfectly, and the finish was quite long, and eminently satisfying.

Kudos, indeed, Hiram!