Sampled at 3:1 and 4:1 with no sugar, over three sittings. This edit on the stars reflects the changes in the last two releases. It has improved quite a bit.

Color: Neat, a light amber/gold. Clear and natural. It suggests the feuille morte of a pre-ban, but is a bit lighter and thinner. If this were a tad deeper in color like a vintage feuille morte, or had a touch of green, I would have given it a 4. *The color in the later releases was not as amber, leaning toward a ore traditional green.

Louche: The louche builds nicely, with distinct layering. The final result is a slightly translucent dusky white, with edges of copper.

Aroma: Neat, the aroma is clean, crisp, and light. It opens slightly as the louche forms, but is not a powerful room-filling aroma, Wormwood is followed by anise, and herbals that suggest a tasty flavor is pending, as the glass is raised to the nose. The aroma as one is about to sip, is quite nice.

Flavor: This is the absinthe's strongest point; it is nicely balanced, gentle and refreshing. This is not a powerful profile, but light and playful. There is a touch of spice, pepper, and citrus. If you are looking for a strong punchy profile, this is not it...It however, is smooth, has something interesting going on, and is quite enjoyable. It is more powerful at 3:1, but it loses some of its softness and lighter herbal edges at less than 4:1, where I find it best.

Finish: The finish follows the flavor nicely; it too, is gentle and refreshing. There is a light build of elements, a decent linger, and a touch of pepper and citrus that hangs in as it fades. The mouthfeel is smooth and thick enough without being too heavy.

Overall: I think this absinthe is quite tasty and refreshing. The color, balance and smoothness suggests to me that the maker is trying to pay homage to the spirit of pre-ban in a modern commercial absinthe. I'm interested to see how this absinthe evolves past this first offering.