I would have said diamond in the rough, but after taking a long hard look at the details it doesn't deserve the 'diamond' part. However I do like this absinthe.

Apperance: Lightly oxidized chlorophyll green. It could be more vibrant, but the fact that it was obviously a naturally coloured verte set it apart from the mouthwash and the blanches on the shelf in a good way.

Louche: Moderate gradient lines, leading to a decent louche. It clouds from bottom to top rather than creating a hard layer, and the final louche is a thin if you don't go slow. This is not the glass of milk that you will get from an anise bomb or the the nuanced blues and greys you will get from HG blanches, but the louch is decent.

Aroma: I gave this a '2' because it's not stinky, and there are no tails present in the aroma that I can detect. The problem is that the aroma is a understated. There is no big floral room-filling bloom. There is a little melissa and wormwood bump in a mostly anise base, but you really have to get your nose in the glass to notice.

Mouthfeel: a little anise numbness and some slight creamyness if you hit the dilution just right. You can even see some oils floating on the surface sometimes, but honestly nothing big here. A hint of refreshing I might venture to say, a small citrusy note against the mint and anise, maybe I'm reading too far in.

Finish: Alcohol, star anise, wormwood bitter. In that order. The bitter is rather striking and it makes me want to take another sip, but it's not for everyone.

Overall: I have tried to put a nice spin on the facts, but it has a less than perfect color, thinnish louche, faint aroma, rather flat taste and a bitter finish. Despite all this, I like this absinthe. It needs TLC to louch well, the bitter wormwood notes are a bit more pronounced than many, and I like how it makes me feel.
I see a definate similarity to Pernod 68, which I disliked, but somehow I find this more endearing, more honest, and less striking when I sit down for a glass.

The alchohol is definately rough if you don't dilute it enough, and this absinthe needs sugar to carry it's weight, but if you are up for an adventure it can be a great experience if you like bitter notes and the search for that little something that never has a star category in the reviews.