Color- Inviting peridot. A tad too weak but attractive.

Louche- Not too many oil trails but more of a slow transformation of cloudiness with a sizable miniscus until about a 2:1 ratio. Correct opalescense when fully louched.

Aroma- Very rounded aroma of Wormwood & fennel. Multi-layered with herbacousnes that's covered with powdery hyssop and other herbs that I can't decipher. Interestingly, this reminds me a lot of PF 1901.

Flavor- Rounded just like the aroma. Expansive in the mouth. Wormwood and hyssop mix with flavors that are carmely and woody. Full bodied and balanced with nuanced flavors.

Finish- A bit of alcohol heat with the wormwood bite. Anise lens it's presence towards the end of the finish.

Overall- It appears to me that although almost everyone can agree that it's a well made absinthe some just don't like the flavor profile. I happen to enjoy it a great deal.

Pale green natural looking. Louche is very slow, creeping opaque thin swirls, not impressive. The color after water is a pale green opaque and thin. Aroma before louche was herbal, with alcohol and wormwood notes. After water the glass was a bloom of wormwood and herbal mix. The mouth feel was creamy but over taken by the alcohol tinge. The taste was of wormwood, with an herbal note with apparent anise. I enjoyed the anise fore and a slightly sweet minty note.
I was expecting a little more on aroma and louche, and overall quality. This absinthe has some definite anorexic qualities.

From 2008 batch at 3:1, then 4:1 at 2nd tasting.

*Note upon revisiting (doesn't affect score): at 4:1, I was able to get a slightly thicker louche. It is so slow forming, that stopping at a lower dilution does not allow it form as fully. Still thin, but more of an opal quality at 4:1, and even up to 5:1, where I enjoyed the flavor much more! Initially, I thought it would get thinner looking with more water...surprise!

Color: Lovely jewel-like green, but a just a tad weak.
After louche color was quite nice.

Louche: Strong promising trails and jellies. I thought "Nice...it's so slow forming", but then it stayed so thin, even at 3:1 that I felt let down. 2nd tasting, went to 4:1 and it was actually a thicker louche!

Aroma: Before adding water, it was delicious, after the louche however, I found it unbalanced and a bit "off" in its balance for my tastes. Very medicinal, vegetal and herbal. I give it a 4 only due to the wonderful pre-louch aroma.

Flavor: Wow...different. Not really my favorite profile, but interesting and strong. Still, tasty, Again, very herbal and medicinal tasting, yet balance and quality. Very clear wormwood and fennel, anise is there, but not right up in your face. A bit more anise in there, and I would love this flavor. A bit of alcohol in there as well... not enough to mark it down, but I noticed it. At 4:1, the achohol bite was gone and the flavor opened up nicely. I can see some people really liking this. I give it a 4 as I think they did a good job representing something faithfully, and it has its place.

Finish: One of the nicest aspects of this absinthe. Layered and complex. Just the right bitter and linger. A tad of alcohol heat in the finish, but not enough to mark it down.


I'd say it's important to sample this just for the unique flavor profile. I liked it much more the 2nd time around, and appreciated its totally unique personality.

Appearance: A near perfect but deep and dark peridot color. Very clear and pristine appearing.

Louche: There is a large variance inn hue once the louche is finished. The louche ends at a perfect translucence and displays many hues in the light as well as large light blue bands at the edges.

Aroma: Mint, anise, and a very menthol smelling wormwood are very pronounced alond with notes of petite wormwood and hyssop. The scent fills the immediate air and it is very sweet smelling on the scent-finish. The menthol note makes it smell a bit heavy and medicinal as well.

Flavor: The menthol wormwood, mint, and hyssop burst forth. There is a smooth texture and some spice notes from heavy pontica use as well. The medicinal camphor is distracting and this absinthe might benefit from a higher dilution and sugar use for those who don't normally do so.

Finish: Bitter and lingering flavor that leads to a sweeter anise finish. It's slightly astringent and feels crisp as well as lasting a long time. Once again the medicinal feel is distracting.

Overall: The medicinal nature hurts this otherwise excellent and quality absinthe. It's certainly an absinthe with character and bound to polarize people into love it or hate it camps. I personally like it a lot but it is not your typical commercial offering at all.

Presentation:



Classic, old world charm. Thick red wax looks great but difficult to remove





Preparation



A thin stream from a fountain of iced spring water.



Color Before Water





Olive leaning towards a light yellow. It's not at all exceptional but totally natural looking. Clear and free of any sediment. Very acceptable and comparable to other brands.





Aroma Before Water



Not overpowering, There's the pronounced heat from alcohol and 150 proof that was expected. The Anise is dominant here and there's little in the way of any floral or herbal tones. The aroma is crisp and clean, but nothing to savor.



Louche



What Louche? Very disappointing. Even after a very slow drip from the fountain all we could coax is a haze. No density, no turbulent roll of clouds or puffy smoke, just a watery opalescent fog. The Mouth feel is as thin as the Louche but to it's credit it's not sticky nor cloying.





Aroma After Water



Watered down and somewhat cooled off. The heat of alcohol is still up front side by side with a nose of Anise and what I can only guess is Fennel. I was unable to detect any other herbs. The aroma is clean and free of any medicinal or off putting aroma.







Flavor



Like the Aroma the flavor is a predictable alcohol and Anise. Period. The Fennel and other flavors don't stand out or above other Absinthes I've had - many at much less of a price per bottle. There's little in the way of complexity here with the exception of a nice grassy taste that chimes in after a few sips.



The Finish



Nice numbing of the tongue, no cloying aftertaste.







Final Impression



Having had high expectations for this Absinthe I was disappointed that it fell so short of what I think are reasonable expectations to have. A fine and lovely aroma, a thick and powerful Louche, these are part in parcel things that to me anyway, add to the enjoyment of drinking Absinthe. But they're lacking here and that's unfortunate. The flavors of Anise and fennel are bold enough to make this a pleasant cocktail. But that's as far as it goes. Enjoyable to a degree but sorry to say, not memorable in the least.