Authentique's color is a lovely, clear and vibrant medium green, with very nice highlights. When louched, its color is just right, and is dense enough not to be considered too thin by my standards. It louches evenly and slowly with nice layering.

Its aroma is its strongest asset...delicious, rich, and promising. Pernot's classic and easily recognizable hand is clear in the scent, but it is more balanced with anise and fennel than its big brother la Berthe de Joux, and has a more traditional personality than Perroquet. It fills the room with the aroma of a distillery as it louches. Very nice. One of my bottles broke in my hand as I unpacked it from the box, its contents soaking into my office carpet. The aroma filled the office for nearly a week, even after cleaning the carpet. It made me feel like I was back in the distillery, as I had been 3 weeks before! They replaced the bottle quickly, no questions asked. It was a nice reminder of my trip, and many clients asked "what's that great smell?"

The flavor might just be the most balanced all-around blend of the trinity Pernod has produced; the Pontarlier wormwood is distinct, but the anise is right up there in a nice balance, as is the fennel. It is warm, classic, correct, and has just enough floral elements to have depth without being overwhelming.

The finish builds nicely and lingers just right, with a rich enough mouth-feel to not be watery, or too heavy. All the elements in the aroma and flavor present themselves step by step in the finish, and it fades off with a nice mild tingle.

I prefer it at 4:1, where the alcohol is less present than at 3:1, which in my opinion, is underwatered for this absinthe. It may be Pernot's best all-around daily drinking absinthe yet, as it walks the balance line nicely while still highlighting their tasty wormwood.

Appearance: Very vibrant green-topaz (a bit more on the green side). Quite clean-looking...not at all syrupy or cloudy.

Louche: After louching, Authentique is really beautiful in the glass. It's still super green, with multi-faceted highlights in red, orange, yellow, and light turquoise, and not too thick or thin.

Aroma: Back to the "clean-ness" again. At 1:4, there's no remaining alcohol heat, and what's left is a very sweet and wormwoody scent with some fennel and anise, along with some pleasantly sweet wood-like properties. There's also something reminiscent of baby powder and rose soap.

Flavor/Mouthfeel: There's a definite buttery, pastry-like quality to this absinthe, and it reminds me of when I made absinthe cake with buttercream frosting - all the qualities of absinthe but much more dessert-like. It has a very fresh and light texture.

Finish: Wildly mouthwatering at first, with a softly citrus freshness. There aren't any distinct flavors, just a lingering "ahhhh!" sensation and the desire to drink more of it.

Overall: Really lovely, and quite a treat. I hope it's not just because I've been wading through mediocre brands as of late, but this absinthe is a breath of fresh air. You can tell it's finely crafted, and I think it's really yummy.

Not very exciting for such a lovely bottle and label. I like Pernot products and services very much but this absinthe really missed the mark with me though it does carry the hallmarks of a good absinthe. Spoiler Alert: I've come to realize that no two absintheurs seem to see the same absinthe alike and individual tastes can count for alot in rendering a review but personally I like an absinthe whose botanicals really stand out and sadly I found Authentique rather understated in that department.

Color wise a light peridot with yellow highlights and while adequate personally I prefer deeper natural hues of green. The louche was rather thin and color and louche reminded me of a past bottle of Mansinthe which though not bad in itself is not one of the better absinthes one can purchase.

Aroma: Not room-fillling, just there with a nice wormwood anise blend with perhaps a mintiness as well.

Flavor/Mouthfeel: As I said before everything just seems a bit understaed. While the wormwood comes forward a bit and is quite tasty it all just feels too light in my mouth. Overall rather thin. The flavor is good but nothing there that really stands out.

Finish: The finish and after taste was the best part which seems to say to me that it is almost memorable but somehow misses the mark as nothing stands out and with its own identity.

Overall: Something to build on is there but frankly I was glad when the bottle was empty so I could enjoy and think about something else. Ultimately the real test is whether I'd buy this one again and I'd have to say most assuredly not. That said, I'm always looking forward to future products from the Pernot distillery ( The Sauvage was great!) though Authentique was not up to my expectations.

Appearance: A bright, fresh, and clear peridot to light-olive hue. Very pretty and natural appearing.

Louche: The color is retained very well with an wonderful opaque-translucent ratio. Just slightly nuanced with a few minor hues but not many.

Aroma: A very balanced aroma that fills just the immediate air and leaves no question as to the ingredients. Each aroma of wormwood, fennel, green anise, and lemon-balm is distinct and respectfully present. The overall smell is sweet and citrusy with a musk-like floral background.

Flavor: Just like the aroma, each component is impeccably balanced and not hidden or nuanced. Complex yet simple in a way. The flavors of wormwood and fennel don't compete with any other herb. The green anise is particularly striking in taste. The quality of the anise had to have been top-notch as the anise flavor in this absinthe reminds me of eating some freshly harvested from a greenhouse. The citrus and floral tones play nicely in the back and the drink covers the palate pleasantly.

Finish: The citrus ramps up immediately with an orange-like tone. The wormwood notes vanish first but otherwise the rest of the finish stays the same as the flavor and lasts a decent while.

Overall: Is this my favorite absinthe, no. Is this a damn good absinthe, yes. The craft and balancing of flavors is an amazing accomplishment. It's not nuanced and delicate but instead opts to burst forth with a few distinct flavors that don't hold anything back. I was wonderfully impressed.

In enjoy this absinthe quite a bit. Color before louche is a more yellow shade of green and the scent is very much expected from something called "authentique". It louches up nicely and is a bit on the thicker side - but that is my preference. Lots of floral scents blossom from the louche and it is a more lengthy process than some others. The color, when louched, is surprisingly more green than the yellow-green cast upon the spirit when neat. It's very nice. The taste is very, very close to something like Jade PF1901 - this is the closest absinthe I can approximate the taste to. Great, solid mouthfeel with a good amount of numbing - with sensations lingering for some time afterwards. I realy do enjoy this extremely balanced and ultra-traditional absinthe from Emile Pernot!