Appearance
Unlouched, a light medium peridot with just the slightest, slightest hint of olive. Crystal clear and clean. Louched, very good green retention with amber, golden, and bluish accents. Very pretty.

Louche
A very well formed louche with some translucence. Nice sheen. About as close to opaque as I would like to see. Overall a golden jade color with pretty subtle opalescence.

Aroma
A really inviting aroma neat. Lovely anise, fennel, and herbs, especially the hyssop. Louched, wow. All the classic stuff in impeccable balance. Fresh, clean, not tired a bit. It just has it all. Slight mint and powder, especially as it warms. I love it at 5:1, however at 5.5:1 the flowers just go nuts. The powder, mint, and confectionery elements combine to serve as the icing on the cake. As it really warms the pontica pontificates.

Flavor
Smooth, round, silky entry, the trinity announcing it's arrival first. Just as the nose, every major element deftly balanced. Minty and floral underpinnings with a slight bloom of spice. Every once in a while a slight grace note of lemon. A very clean base. 5:1 to 5.5:1 show it best, in my opinion, but it is very nice at lower dilutions if you don't mind some slight heat. This is really one of the best Pontarlier profiles I have tried.

Finish
A very balanced fade of all the palate impressions with a slow bloom of spice. The coriander and wormwood holding hands, cheered on by the balance of the trinity. A slight powdery drying, and just a slight pull on the entire palate (tongue, roof, gums, everything). This is where I think the higher dilutions serve well, less drying, more refreshing. And length? It just goes on and on.

Overall
Lovely. Classic. Need I say more?




But I will. It's easy to see why this wowed in it's day. It wows me now. And considering all the fine offerings that have been released since this was made, that is quite something. This could serve as the Pontarlier prototype. I wouldn't change a thing and I wish I had more.

I can still remember seeing this available when I first started drinking absinthe. Being so new to it, I didn't know the details and, of course, couldn't buy everything. But they say, "Better late than never". So all my appreciation to LdF for that 2011 release of a few bottles, and them finally getting me to the party.

Done with .75 and 1 ounce doses, diluted 4:1, 4.5:1, 5:1, 5.5:1 and no sugar.

L'Artisanale 7/10/11, 10/15/11, 11/13/11, 2/05/12
All evaluations had consistent notes.

The colour is a clear, natural olive, as my sample is a bit aged now. The louche is wonderful and full of character. It builds slowly from the bottom, rolling back and forth beneath a clear line that doesn't disappear until after it's become razor thin. The aroma is a gutpunch of big, minty, beautiful wormwood. Anise provides a luscious sweetness but plays second fiddle. That excellent wormwood is definitely on display in the flavour, with great quality anise and fennel floating throughout. Great complexity, yet it's all kind of blurred. Beyond the trinity it's difficult to discern individual herbs since everything is so cohesive. There's a bit of tasty pontica flavour but it's hard to pinpoint much else. This absinthe is quite mouth-coating but then becomes a bit too numbing. The finish is long and fruity, with lingering characteristics of the different herbs frequently usurping each other. I wish I had more of this absinthe.

This is probably one of my favorite commercially made absinthes. It's evident from the moment the bottle is opened, all the way to the last drop that this product was made with only the best ingredients and a loving hand.

The color wasn't astounding, but was a very nice light green.

Louching starts slow and builds milky thick. Lots of wondrous oil trails leave you wanting to watch all day. But then you remember...it's there to be drank!

The aroma reminds me of an alpine valley. Very complex, fresh, and crisp. Minty with the sweetness of the anise and hints of fennel in the background. So clean, it's tough not to rush the first taste.

Speaking of taste, lots and lots of stuff going on here. Lots of depth and complexity. Wormwood, anise and fennel all fight a glorious battle to get the most attention, but it all works so well. The only reason this didn't get a 5 for both flavor and finish is because it did have a bit of a burn, but I'm assuming that's due to the lack of aging when I first rated this. By this point, it probably has mellowed considerably.

Overall, if this absinthe was commercially available, I'd be hard pressed to buy anything else.