Appearance: a very light green, lighter and more yellow than usual in a verte. Very clear. Quite different from what I see on my computer screen in the picture, where it looks like cognac. My bottle was purchased in late 2015.

Louche: a very thick louche, forming quickly. The color is a pale green, with spare blue and orange reflexes.

Aroma: all the unexpected aromas other reviewers have described are there: burnt crayon, sweaty horse, wet earth. Spicy, peppery, but little anise. Something reminds me of Italian grappa.

Flavor/Mouthfeel: bitterer than usual, very little anise. The main taste is that of wormwood.

Finish: some bitter wormwood lingering in the mouth.

Overall: this is either love it or hate it. It does not pretend to be a standard verte, I don't think it's labelled "amer" just for its thujone content. When I first tried it, I was pretty disappointed. After some months and many absinthes experienced, this is one of the few absinthes I always want to have home, as its personality is unique. I like it more than the other Amer, Lemercier. I know this absinthe doesn't get much love anywhere, but I think it just boils down to personal preferences: if you like it bitter and intense, if you don't like anise too much, if you want something strong and different, this is definitely worth a try. I'm going to test other Devoille's products in the future.

*Received as a sample in an absinthe explore set from absinthes.com

Appearance - While clear and natural in appearance, the color is less "golden" and more an offputting shade of yellow (Melinda likened it to a urine sample).

Louche - The louche is very quick. Initially, it was interesting to watch, but was very thick and opaque at around the 2:1 mark.

Aroma - Here is where this effort begins to fail completely. If I could liken the aroma to anything, it would be slightly burned paper removed from a crayon. I didn't get any herbal or alcohol smell, just that of burned crayon paper.

Flavor/Mouthfeel - My suspicions of this absinthe based on "aroma" were confirmed with the first taste. Overwhelming alcohol with an overriding bitterness. The previous review mentioned the "body odor" comparison that Melinda also made upon the first taste. Of the ten absinthes we have tried, this is the first that saw us both unable to finish the glass - the vast majority saw its way down the sink.

Finish - Based on the flavor, this could not be good. Indeed, we both did everything we could to just make it stop.

Overall - This is definitely one to avoid. I am only happy that it wasn't the first sample we tried, or else we wouldn't have been as excited about the experience. If I had ordered a bottle of this, I can't imagine its ever seeing the light of day after the initial tasting. -zb

This is my first review and I would like to start off by saying that this is an odd absinthe compared to the other dozen or so I have tried thus far. I used a small sugar cube and ice cold water dripped at approximately 1 drip per second. Second glass I added more sugar and slightly more water to try and dampen the bitterness.

Appearance - The bottle is almost a gold color so I am not sure exactly where it fits on the spectrum. It's odd looking with only a touch of green showing through when poured into a glass. It looked clear yet somehow tainted.

Louche - Louche was extremely quick forming from the bottom building rapidly towards the top. It was thick and opaque and not very captivating to watch build. Still, the idiosyncrasies were interesting in that I had not witnessed this sort of louche before. Very one dimensional in the end.

Aroma - This is where I knew I may be in trouble. My first reaction was that it smelled like body odor. I think I read that star anise is included and I have not tried an absinthe with this ingredient before to my knowledge. I cannot say that this played any role, but it may have. Overall, it was too "organic" for my taste. A bit dirty.

Flavor/Mouthfeel - Again, very different from anything I've sampled. Unbalanced. I think the star anise is a flavor I am unfamiliar with and it may well have been the most pronounced. Heavy, but not lovable wormwood. There is a definite bite and some flavors I had not yet experienced. This made it interesting, if not entirely enjoyable. Pretty bitter so I added a bit more sugar and over-watered just a smidge on the second glass. Left me with a slightly numbed tongue which has not occurred since the first time I tried absinthe in CZ. A bit boozy too.

Finish - The finish helped the cause a bit as it was not an unpleasant linger. Definitely runs a little hot which I enjoy at times.

Overall - This absinthe is definitely not in the same league of other absinthes I have sampled. I would guess it is a mid-range offering that may appeal to those looking for something quirky without many of the traditional attributes of absinthe. I will revisit in the near future, but right now I am not looking forward to this being a staple behind my bar.