Pre-louche, the absinthe is a transparent light green, leaning toward golden-brown.
The louche is thick and milky, with transparency near the edges at a 1/4 absinthe-water ratio.

I worked my way through a bottle of this at the same time as the Edouard and Jade 1901, so my perception of VS 1898 might be skewed by comparisons to those other two. It's neither as austere as the Eduoard nor creamy as the 1901.
Rather, the aroma and taste of VS 1898 tend toward the sweet, clean side.

The taste really shines as it warms up. After the initial "hit" of flavor on the tongue, a second wave comes around a few moments later -- a darker, Ricola-like flavor, which transitions to a finish that also reminds me of Ricola lozenges. It's worth holding the absinthe in the mouth for a while so that the sweet prickly herbal flavors can just soak into your tongue.