Appearance: Crystal clear and inviting.

Louche: From the very beginning, it looks as if it's trying very hard to louche. You see plenty of trails, but then...nothing really happens. You're left with what looks like a very slightly hazy glass of water. Seems as though it didn't pull enough anethole and fenchone to create a proper louche. I'm assuming that it's due to the production process, since the proper herbs were used.

Aroma: Unlouched, alcohol and a TON of licorice. The licorice subsides a bit as it breathes, but it's tough to make out much more. Post-louche, I'm not picking up much other than a faint hint of licorice and a touch of orange peel. I give it a 2 for being too weak.

Flavor: Refreshing. But only because it's like drinking flavored water. It's so light, that it really is tough to think of it as drinking absinthe. There is a very slight, bitter aftertaste, which I presume is from the wormwood. The rest is made up of a hint of anise and licorice. There is no mouthfeel to speak of. Literally like drinking water.

Finish: Very weak hints of the same flavors. Extremely light.

Overall, there is very little that one could complain about in regard to off-putting flavors or textures. But there's also very little to compliment. While the tastes are clean, crisp, and seem to come from good quality herbs, there is just so little flavor that you begin to think that you're drinking a lightly flavored vodka. It's an interesting experiment, but there's a lot of work to do to bring this up to par with a traditionally flavored absinthe that actually louches. I can't really even say that this would be a good mixer, because it wouldn't bring an appropriate amount of flavor to the intended cocktail.

If you want to try it to taste what cold-distillation might do to absinthe ingredients, go for the sample.