Pours a very emerald green. Louches nicely, with a nice layering effect if you go slowly, before the whole drink becomes a nice greyish cloud (with subtle blues and yellow highlights). My bottle, I can barely smell anything from it. Even in the glass I'm mostly just picking up the alcohol, but there are hints of peppermint and cooking spices behind that. After louching I can barely smell anything, but there's maybe the ever so slight added hint of funky fruit.

Flavor- maybe my bottle just isn't very good. It's good, but I'm just not as impressed as everyone else seems to be, not even close. Everything about this is just way too subtle. I have to go with pretty low water ratios to get it to a point where I can even pick out flavors. Mainly I'm noticing the wormwood and anise, but everything is very balanced- maybe TOO balanced? It's really hard to pick anything out individually because everything is blended into one (kind of nondescript) profile, I think. The mouthfeel is nice. The finish to me seems a bit peppery and lasts a while, so at least that's a bit interesting.

Overall I think everything is too subtle. I like the nouvelle-orléans because it's more unique and also the flavors in that one stand out more. It's hard for me to even know what I'm experiencing while I'm drinking this (almost finished a 200ml bottle and every time I drink from it I feel the same way). I feel almost confused trying to figure it out. There's nothing offensive or bad about it, and I can definitely tell that high quality ingredients and distillation are at work here, and it is enjoyable. But compared to upper-tier absinthe it just doesn't leave a solid impression for me. Honestly I would rather have any other Jade, Walton Waters, or probably even a bottle of Vieux Pontarlier than this. But those are all great or very good absinthes, and this is still a high quality drink.

Color: Clear, olive green, dark, gold, amber, yellow highlights.

Louche: Dark milky green, olive and amber. Thick.

Aroma: Smells like what you’d imagine as an old apothecary elixir. Herbal, chartreuse, spicy, anise, wintergreen, spearmint, lemon zest, medicinal, spirity.

Flavor: Deep, dark and robust. Bitter and dry. Mildly astringent. Herbs are very well blended. Anise is there but does not stand out. There's definitely some wood ageing. Flavors of wood, leather, salt, gin, pine. A bit of juicy fruit when sugar is added. Full creamy mouth-feel.

Finish: Herbs dissipate and leave a zesty bitterness. Salty, leather taste remains. Tongue-numbing. Hint of cough medicine near the end.

Overall: A very complex and interesting absinthe. It is dark, robust and masculine. I really enjoy it but it’s quite intense, not an absinthe I would drink often. For me this is an absinthe I would drink late at night, with candlelight while watching a dark Victorian period piece such as Dracula or Penny Dreadful.

Color: PF 1901 is a light green and a bit yellow-gold at the edges. It is very clear and bright. It seems a little too pale but otherwise perfect.

Louche: This has a quick louche and is very active with early oil swirls. There is a nice gradient and also a unique final pop when the louche finishes. It has a nice thickness and is yellow-gold with a apparent translucence when held up to the light.

Aroma: PF 1901 smells a bit flowery and spiced but not too complex. It appears to be very well balanced and not too heated at all.

Flavor: There is a nice balance of flavor here. The wormwood is up front first leading to other flavors. It is earthy and robust but also simple. At a higher ratio a bit of floral flavor is noted but nothing game changing. It's not weak in flavor at all but it is a tad simple.

Finish: There is a good length to this finish and it sweetens up a lot. The wormwood rounds out the flavor and it numbs the tongue just a bit but not too heavily. Very pleasing and relaxing.

Overall: This is a simple yet deep absinthe. The finish is a high point and the louche is very pretty. This is not complex or surprising in any way but still a very solid offering.

Bottled on Date Sept. 2010.

Color: Nice, natural green with hints of gold and amber. It’s a little pale, but not at all unpleasant.

Louche: Beautiful, opalescent louche, very turbulent and rolly. The color is lovely, with pale yellows and turquoise.

Aroma: Somewhat spicy, lightly flowery with something that reminds me of jello mix. Somewhat citrusy, with an earthy dirt scent.

Flavor: The flavor is smooth and very rounded, with a nice wormwood taste. It’s very reminiscent of something but I can’t place just what that something is. It feels familiar, like I’m about to remember something, and then the feeling fades, much like the flavor, disappearing a bit too quick.

Finish: The finish gets very sweet, and lingers for a long while. It feels like it’s going somewhere, but it never quite reaches where it was headed, like a story that trails off.

Overall: I like this absinthe, but it gives me the sensation of nostalgia of something…I just can’t place what that something is…it’s like trying to remember a song or place. It tastes nice, but I wasn’t blown away, and the quality certainly wasn’t leaps and bounds above other absinthes also trying to emulate this style that I’ve tried. It definitely gave me good bearing on the other attempts at the Pernod Fils style absinthes enough to appreciate how near/far they were also able to get to that style. I do feel that either my bottle was not very good or that it’s been a bit too overhyped, as it is not the most incredible absinthe I have ever tasted.

This is from the Sept. 2010 bottling.

I've spent a lot of time trying various ratios, and I've settled on 4:1 for my personal favorite. At less than this, I find the stronger elements overwhelming. With more water however, a sophisticated balance is reached.

Color: Natural, a lovely touch of light peridot green. Crystal clear.

Louche: Trails gave way slowly to clouds whisping up from the bottom in well defined layers. An inviting nice light green and white with flirty copper highlights. A wonderful opalescent louche.

Aroma: lovely, subtle, balanced and delicate. It filled the room as the louche formed. All elements blended so well together I couldn't wait to taste it.

Flavor: Strong earthy wormwood, anise and fennel are in a good balance. This is a masculine yet elegant absinthe. Spice and pepper mingled with a slight earthy flavor.

Finish: Lingering flavor elements build to a peak, pulling gently at you, opening up to a full delicious anise with feathery fading fennel on the exhale. Very very nice.

Overall: This is a solid, well-crafted absinthe. I find one sugar and 5:1 open it up and allow for the more subtle elements to reveal themselves. I've found it takes a bit of aging to be at its best.