40ml louched with 200ml chilled water, unsweetened for this review.

Color: It is perfectly clear pre louche. The color after louche is a fobby grey with nice overtones of blue and lavender. These overtones in the louche are what, to me, provide much of an absinthe's "mystique": an indeterminate billow of subdued color, coaxed from a perfectly clear liquid.

Louche: The louche forms quickly, but with some oil trails and interest. There is a clear layer at the top that is subsumed by the billowing louche from below.

Aroma: The aroma of the neat liquor is mild and warm. Anise is not overpowering, and well balanced. When louched, that warmth and mildness is broadened, the anise is not overpowering but "couched" in an herbal mist.

Flavor: The flavor of Kubler 53 (US Release) is well balanced with subtleties, tending towards sweetness. The anise is present in the nose with lifting the glass, and emerges nicely on the tongue when sipping, not overpowering. There is more sweetness than dryness throughout the sip, and the bitterness of the wormwood is present but not biting, "drying" just before the finish.

Finish: Finish is dry, with a fading anise sweetness. There is a bit of "soapiness" that is more apparent when unsweetened, and which is not apparent when sweetened. There is some mildness where the chilled water comes through more cleanly towards the middle of the finish, and then a nice woodworm astringence with anise and herbal atmosphere is left.

Overall: A mild, controlled and clean flavor throughout. Not aggressively sharp in any regard. Somewhat thin unsweetened, and so "gaps" are carried by sweetening, in the way the bottle suggests it should typically be prepared. A soothing elxir, as opposed to alcholically harsh or medicinal in the manner of the many of the US targeted absinthes to date, and a definite bargain in terms of quality vs. price.