Color- Very nice green. Not a true peridot but closer to a more pale ‘green amethyst’ like color. There are a few sprinkles of sediment at the bottom of the glass.

Louche- Oil trail action starts at about 1/1. Nothing too crazy in terms of cascading explosions. A little weak but I’m really nitpicking. There are pretty gold and blue refractions under natural light.

Aroma- I get a sweet, candy-like vanilla scent. Very refined and not cheap smelling at all. Deeper aromas of anise, fennel and melissa invite you to start drinking this stuff.

Flavor- Anise, fennel and a mid-palate wormwood bite are all in harmony here. Different depths of melissa are present depending on the sip. Some mint and hyssop round out the flavors and linger on to the finish. This absinthe is both savory and fresh at the same time. Very pleasant and extremely complex- I’m having trouble picking out all of the flavors and describing them.

Finish- I primarily get anise and melissa with some quality wormwood bite. One of the longest finishes I’ve experienced.

Overall- This is a top-tier absinthe. A few improvements in the color or louche would put this in the elite category. This is a great value, at least in the ‘absinthe world.’ Pick it up.

very cold water drip to 3.5:1 and then additional water to probably 4:1, no sugar

color: beautiful clear green, slightest hint of yellow/gold. Not the deepest color I've seen but by no means pale. Very attractive, natural, and appropriate.

nose (neat): soft and clean, nothing sharp or funky. You wouldn't guess this is 62% alc. it's so pleasant and easy to smell. Nicely herbal, you can find the anise in there and maybe I'm getting a notion of citrus. I'll get into the aroma more after the louche.

louche: not a super thick louche, but use very cold water and take your time and you will be rewarded. Nice swirling, slow building cloudiness with good layering. At 3:1 or so appears fairly thin and more translucent than most, but color is very nice and the glass is attractive. Hints of blue, I'm still trying to get a handle on "opalescence" and this may be it.

aroma: my (in)experience is letting me down here. The aroma is wonderful and inviting. Maybe I picked up some mint and citrus, thought once there was a hint of cut celery, but really, just an extremely pleasant anise and herbal aroma. It's the kind of thing where rather than trying to critically analyze the aroma, you just want to smell it and smile. I'm unable to pick out any individual aromas beyond the familiar anise/fennel.

flavor: wonderful. This is an anise drink, as absinthe should be, but by no means one-dimensional; there's very nice herbal character supporting the anise, and a good balancing wormwood bitterness. Very nice mouthfeel, feels richer than the post-louche appearance led me to believe.

finish: long and well balanced. Mildy pleasant tongue clinging and numbing. Leaves a refreshed feeling in the mouth. Cool, sweet, and clean.

overall: Pacifique is incredible, nothing more needs to be said. To my taste it leans towards the delicate/feminine side, and seems to be an amazing feat of balancing complexity and restraint. This is easily up there in the top tier of absinthes I've tasted.

Color is a medium peridot. It's radiant refractive and appealing. The louche is an excellent gradual development with lots of delicate snowy cloud action, and ending up with a delightful thickness, with lovely opalescence. Color after water is peridot with white shades, with excellent reflection of a creamy gradient green. The aroma neat is of an alpine meadow and louched it opens up with a balanced scent of anise, fennel and wormwood. It is extremely balanced with a fresh clean nose. Mouth feel is creamy soft and full. The taste is balanced with soft delicious herbal notes. Slight spiciness with a sweet fruity tinge..a nice balanced wormwood finish. An excellent, delightful, fresh absinthe. The alpine herbal, sweet tinged flavor with the excellent wormwood finish is superb.

Date: 7/4/11

Appearance: A light crystal green. Slightly yellow, depending on viewing angle... reminds me of green glass and honey.

Louche: Opalescent trails begin the process, as the absinthe begins to turn a cloudy lime color from the bottom up. Good overall, but it could be thicker.

Aroma: A Soapy perfume-like citrus, with an earthy spice dominates before water. After louching, it becomes more balanced as the initial punch fades into the complex nose which contains the expected alpine herb aroma. There is also a hint of white pepper & earthiness in the background.

Flavor: Initial zap of wormwood. Powdery & silky. Overall very balanced and relatively light. It has the taste of a refined absinthe everyone can enjoy.

Finish: Pacifique has a nice dry fade and medium mouth feel. Leaves me wanting more.

Overall: The next step up in American distilled absinthe. This is a more feminine type of flavor. At the top of the mid range/priced absinthe. Lives up to the hype!

Unlouched, Pacifique is a fairly complex green/yellow with a clean scent a bit reminiscent of fir trees. Once tempered with water, these hints are still present alongside a nice balance of the expected absinthe herbs. The louche itself takes a bit to form and is a bit thin – but is entertaining to view and builds into a solid yellowish-green milkiness.

As for flavor – the aromas do not lie and much of the strong herbal character is also quite present in the mouth. Again – very balanced. This is one of the more bitter absinthes I’ve had but I love them this way. Good with or without sugar – though I normally take this one without.

Something I really appreciate about this absinthe is that all of the botanicals are listed on the bottle. Grain neutral spirits with; anise, angelica, coriander, fennel, hyssop, melissa, grand wormwood, and roman wormwood. You know exactly what goes into this elixir.

08/22/2014 UPDATE: Corrected score to account for what I consider a thinner louche. Not as bad as some - but this bottle I have is quite thinner than I remember. Water must be VERY COLD. Slow drip.