-Color-
Though I know it’s artificially colored, this is one of the best artificial colors I’ve seen; the mid-peridot could pass for some of the more vivid naturally colored vertes; the latest range of offerings from Emile Pernot comes to mind. Retains its natural look after water; I’d give most artificial colors a 1 or 2, but this one manages a 3.

-Louche-
Louche starts out nice, but then is over a bit too quickly, as one would expect from a product with a high amount of star anise oil. Louched opacity on the thick side, but not any worse than some well made green anise based brands.

-Aroma-
Before Water: Black jelly bean and alcohol heat.

After Water: Strong black jelly bean aroma with a little weird woody medicinal nuance. Nothing downright offensive so I guess it gets a 2.

-Flavor and Mouthfeel-
Oh dear. Sickly sweet light licorice flavor with some minor spice and weird plastic notes. I was expecting an all-out star anise saturation a la Grande Absente but the sickly and weird flavors make this a bit worse. Blunt bitterness and maybe a little mint from the wormwood. While I’ve tasted a few good vertes with the same bitterness power, quality A.a. when properly handled will have a much greater range than this; in addition, the wormwood flavor that IS here does not sync with the rest of the notes. Not much body to speak of one way or another.

-Finish-
Blunt, dry bitterness from the A. a. with a bit of spice. The receding flavors are a relief rather than a savory send off.

-Overall-
As discussed many times before on the serious absinthe forums, it’s a real pity that this beverage carries the Pernod Absinthe name. While it technically qualifies as real absinthe by historical measures (the lowest possible grade of absinthe and cheapest production methods), it has very little to do with the gold standard of all absinthe, pre-ban Pernod Fils. It’s unfortunate, though predictable, to see the Pernod-Ricard megacorporation attempt to link their product to Pernod’s glory days. I’ve been lucky enough to get to know the real thing (1910 Palazzo cache, 1910 Winnetka cache, 1914 Holland “very green” cache, Tarragona c.1940-50 and c. 1950-1960) and Senator you’re no Pernod Fils!

Notes: 3.5:1, no sugar. Got a little better as the glass warmed up, but I ended up sinking the remainder of the glass. Not trying to be a snob, but honestly I found this drink to be unpleasant.

Bottle first opened August 2007, current review based on December 2008 sample. [edit: bottle actually purchased 2007, not 2008 as originally noted.]

At first pour of the Pernod AEDPDA, the color is so impressively green that confirms the artificial augmentation. It's beautifully clear, however, and presents well. The nose is single-note anise, with a hot alcohol blast that burns the nostrils.

Loucheing at a medium drip (unsugared) produces a beautiful cascade of oil trails, with clouds that build from the bottom of the reservoir and keep a strong dividing line until almost 3:1. The green tinge remains in the fully-louched drink. The aroma is present, if not "room-filling". At least at this point the alcohol heat is tempered.

The first sip presents the anise again, with a touch of wormwood. It's not very tongue-numbing, nor particularly long-finished. It's simply a quick taste and then... little or nothing. Others have noted a touch of lemon on the finish, but I didn't notice it in my sample. Perhaps bottle age or a tweak of the recipe can explain this.

This is, overall, an unimpressive beverage, not one I'd share with a friend or a newbie. Compared with other absinthes currently available on American shelves, it comes up short. Too hot, too one-dimensional, too expensive for what you get.