This first taste glass of Vieux Pontarlier was prepared with ice cold water, no sugar, and very slowly dripped.

Aroma pre-louche: I think it is important to experience a new absinthe's aroma upon opening the bottle and give a very first impression. Upon opening the bottle a familiar and expected wormwood-heavy aroma was omnipresent. It smells enticing. Upon pouring, the heavy wormwood aroma fades and takes a back seat to something more complex. Alcohol is, however, very apparent.

Color:

The color is by far the nicest I've personally experienced. It is crystal clear with no sediment, and represents for me a perfect coloration. It looks the most natural, and most absinthe-y I have seen yet.

Louche:

For me one of the most important characteristics. IT began as magnificent oily trails that seemed to conjure up the jade opalescence from somewhere unseen within. A bit quick to erupt, the full louche began almost after the blink of an eye and filled all but the top layer until around 2.5 it was complete. It's fantastic green color set in nicely and never move towards being too much white. It was so pretty at the start that I wish it lasted longer. The aroma was like cold candy canes, and while pleasant was not very powerful. Stopping the drip at around 3 or 3.5-1 I quickly stirred. Utterly gorgeous.

Flavor:

A fantastically blended flavor. Wormwood--so far as I believe it to be--jumps right onto your tongue and riding quickly in tow is a smooth mix of fennel and anise. I have no qualms about saying that, on instant reaction, this is the most fantastic thing I've ever tasted. It blends all the qualities of my previous absinthes and gives me a stern, yet enjoyable lesson in what absinthe should taste like. The texture on my tongue is of perfect creaminess. No biting alcohol. Although I do miss the nice numbness I've come to expect from others.

Finish:

The finish is quick and clean, almost as if the flavor completely vanishes leaving only a refreshing afterthought. It is naturally sweet in a way that sugar could ruin it. I would have liked the flavor to linger a bit longer, perhaps with a nice numb reminder on the tip of my tongue.

Overall:

This is delicious. It seems to be a perfect blend of all dominant absinthe flavors, and yet in some way I am almost missing having one jump out over another. I think that perhaps a lesser water ration might benefit this absinthe as it might allow for a more sharp bite to the tongue. Of course, this could just mean that it really is a very high quality absinthe with a particularly refined character. Overall, the best I've had so far--it doesn't cry out for sugar--and an absinthe that I have no doubt will replace at least one of my current mainstays.

*EDIT* So I tried one with sugar and, exposing my complete absinthe naivete, it isn't bad at all. The wormwood comes out a bit more, but the anise vanishes and you only get a hint of fennel. Not as catastrophic as I thought. I'm a bit confused now.

The color in the glass is amazingly bright and clear, having a gem-like quality. It louches up nicely, keeping a tinge of green that is quite attractive. The louche builds from the bottom, with a layer of green at the top of the glass. Though it's thick enough at 2:1, I usually use a 3.5 or 4:1 ratio to open it up even more, and to provide an additional few sips per glass. It doesn't fall apart at higher water:dose ratios, either. I've had it unsugared, but I prefer it with because I think it thickens up the mouthfeel in a very positive way, without being too cloying.

The aroma is delightful, sweetness accompanied by a bit of wormwood and a detectable anise/fennel. The first sip gives a butterscotch richness, with the middle and back of the tongue sensing the slight bitter & dryness of wormwood. The anise flavor is present, if light. The finish is refreshingly cool, minty and bitter at the same time. A slight amount of tongue-drying accompanies the finish, but not as much as in some other wormwood-forward absinthes.

I love this product. At the price ($65 per bottle), it's an amazing value, cheap enough to be a daily drinker. I keep one bottle open and one in reserve because I know I'm going to be going back day in and day out.

Color:

Very nice clear mid-green tint, neither olive nor atomic. Stays light peridot tinted even after water. Essentially perfect, the precise color a verte should be.

Louche:

Couldn't really be much better I think, using very cold water and getting to my usual dilution of 4:1 faster than I like (anticipation and all ya know), it formed a nice clear layer at the top that lingered and then vanished. I didn't notice the usual "oily trails" business like I usually see though, but that may have been because I was simply rushing it. Once fully louched it's maybe, just maybe a tad on the thin side, but I'm picking nits here.

Aroma:

Before water, very much green anise, with just a hint of wormwood and herbs. No trace of grass or other overly herbaceous things jumping out at you. After water, much more wormwood, much less anise. Minty and sharp, with just a tiny bit of Christmas spice in the background.

Flavor:

No sugar tonight in my absinthe. Not to start anyway. The result is wormwood and mint, with a very crisp refreshing aftertaste. A rounded fruitiness makes itself known as well. This makes it not go well with chocolate (since I don't like mint and chocolate), but did help with the roast for dinner, although the flavor was perhaps not up to the top competition in all respects, it is very clear, very clean, and present.

Finish:

Moderately bitter but smooth, the finish is not so much aromatic as it is cooling. Not numbing though, with less of that than I like, but cooling there is plenty of.

Overall:

Taken as the sum of the parts, I like this absinthe, but only just. Although this bottling is said to be about 6 months old, I wish the flavor had just a little bit more complexity to it, and the mint notes were toned down slightly. Maybe with time. But, what it lacks perhaps in richness, it makes up for in its refreshing qualities and ability to hold its own with other foods.

I'm giving this absinthe marks. Visually, it's just about perfect, starting as a lovely and bright, peridot green and louching to an equally attractive, opalescent jade. The louche process itself seems just right, starting with heavy, rope-like "oil trails" and ending with the expected vanishing ring of green. I found the aroma before water to be intensely herbal, but it mellows as the water is added, and the anise comes to the forefront. The flavor is herbal, complex, and very interesting, with a soft and lingering bitterness that I found very pleasing; the finish is less perfect than the initial flavor but still very good. Overall, I would say this is the one of the better absinthes on the US market I've tried to date, and for the price, it is very hard to beat.