We tried this absinthe on Valentine's Day 2008, and to set the mood lit candles and read from Blackwood's "The Man Whom the Trees Loved."



The color is a perfectly natural-looking light emerald, bright and translucent (5/5). The louche is the most beautiful I have seen, you can really understand why Ted named the company Jade Liqueurs when you hold this absinthe up to candlelight. Its color fades from green in the darkness to yellow-tinged where the light is strongest, and the louching sugar at the bottom of the glass looks like the swirling souls from Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain (5/5).



I had opened the bottle and recorked it, then let it sit for about a week, and it developed a subtle, mentholish smell, like warm fields after rain. The louche releases the hidden aromas very nicely, yielding an aroma much heavier on the anise and fennel, although the green fairy didn't really "fill up the room" as much as some other brands I have tried, and to really smell it you had to hold the glass up to your nose (4/5).



The taste is finely balanced. There are at least five simultaneous sensations - a subtle anise-fennel sweetness, a distinct and bitter undercurrent of wormwood, something citrusy (perhaps melissa?), something floral (coriander?), and a mouthfeel that I can only describe as crisp and silky (5/5). What really makes this absinthe stand out to me, however, is the finish - there is a crisp bitter dryness in the end that lingers pleasantly, and makes that next sip only partially voluntary (5/5). It all produces a very warm-feeling drunk, when consumed in excess, but for the first time since sampling high-quality absinthe I did not dream.



Having finally tried this absinthe after reading all the rave reviews, it only makes me more eager to go out and try other varieties. After sipping it, the main impression I have is that it is very finely crafted, but it makes me realize that there can be no thing such as a "be all and end all" of absinthes. This is the absinthe to pick if you're looking for something subtle, crisp and delectable, and in that category it scores top marks (5/5). If you're looking for something thick, creamy and more pungently herbal, then you might prefer a different variety.