Update to previous review-- hope this works right...

Basically, one change on the scores-- after a lot of reflection, I decided that Lucid deserves a 4 in Flavor/Mouthfeel: According to the WS Absinthe Evaluation sheet, 4 = "Correct, interesting, pleasant, enjoyable" and to me, Lucid is definitely that. The "burn" I reported earlier is more in the finish than the flavor, and it just works well. It's still the solid "proper midmarket standard" but it does well at that, and I think Mr Breaux managed to formulate an excellent absinthe for the masses here.

Also, yeah, Lucid is "Jade Light"-- but sometimes I'm not in the mood for the full complexity of a real Jade and "Jade Light" is exactly what I want. :)

Original Review:

Lucid, the basic standard

Broke out my bottle of Lucid for a night-cap and a tasting session with the WS Absinthe Score sheet last night (and posted the initial version of this in the forum, but now I can post it where it belongs… ?
The appearance is natural, correct, clear, acceptable-- but IMO too pale for the 4 or 5 ratings.
Louche: well, it's a great Louche—I’m tempted to give it a 5, except that I've seen Jade N.O. and La Clandestine after louching... Lucid’s good, but not the best
Aroma: I think it's acceptable, correct, good proper absinthe-- it's just a little undistinguished compared to the great ones, but there's nothing wrong with it. I didn’t catch any of the “funk” I’ve heard others report (admittedly my bottle is, at this point, quite well-aged though…).
Flavor/Mouthfeel: It's correct & proper-- I still like Lucid, even after trying several other varieties of Absinthe-- if it's got a flaw, it's that there's still a little more "burn" instead of "smooth" than I'd expect from a top-notch absinthe, and set next to Jade & La Clandestine-- two of the others I've tried-- it comes off as undistinguished, but only by comparison though. Still totally acceptable & nothing wrong with it – I’m tempted to give it a 4, but in the end I think 3.5 is the right spot.
Finish: The standard descriptor by the 3, "Lingers pleasantly, no outstanding characteristics." says it all-- nothing wrong, just not truly "outstanding".
Overall: It fits the 3 rating perfectly-- IMO, entirely acceptable and it's the very epitome of the proper mid-market standard.
Further comments:
As I've indicated previously-- I like Lucid, I'm going to keep drinking it occasionally, and when I finish this bottle, I'm going to buy another one. It's my standard, go-to, ordinary occasion Absinthe. It's my "I just want to enjoy sipping on a simple glass of absinthe at the end of a long day..." choice. I gave it the ratings I did because Lucid is the middle of the road standard: I'm well aware there are absinthes that are made better, are more complex, perhaps ultimately tastier-- and I plan to indulge in them when I can, whenever I want something good & complex; and definitely for special occasions. The existence of higher end absinthe doesn't change my decision that Lucid has a place in my liquor cabinet and at my table. However, since Lucid is readily available, it's also still my "baseline"-- I find Lucid fully acceptable, but any Absinthe that doesn't compare favorably with Lucid is unacceptable to me-- it is the basic standard that others must equal or exceed.

For those interested: I'm actually not quite sure of the exact water-to-absinthe ratio I use as a fractional measurement-- but I use the same glasses, I fill the reservoir with absinthe to the same line, I fill it to 1/2" from the brim with ice water every time I prepare absinthe, using a broullier or dripping over a spoon, with a sugar cube-- so I am consistent in my methods and amounts each time. And yes, I'm one of those who always takes absinthe with sugar by preference.

Update to previous review-- hope this works right...

Basically, one change on the scores-- after a lot of reflection, I decided that Lucid deserves a 4 in Flavor/Mouthfeel: According to the WS Absinthe Evaluation sheet, 4 = "Correct, interesting, pleasant, enjoyable" and to me, Lucid is definitely that. The "burn" I reported earlier is more in the finish than the flavor, and it just works well. It's still the solid "proper midmarket standard" but it does well at that, and I think Mr Breaux managed to formulate an excellent absinthe for the masses here.

Also, yeah, Lucid is "Jade Light"-- but sometimes I'm not in the mood for the full complexity of a real Jade and "Jade Light" is exactly what I want. :)

Original Review:

Lucid, the basic standard

Broke out my bottle of Lucid for a night-cap and a tasting session with the WS Absinthe Score sheet last night (and posted the initial version of this in the forum, but now I can post it where it belongs… ?
The appearance is natural, correct, clear, acceptable-- but IMO too pale for the 4 or 5 ratings.
Louche: well, it's a great Louche—I’m tempted to give it a 5, except that I've seen Jade N.O. and La Clandestine after louching... Lucid’s good, but not the best
Aroma: I think it's acceptable, correct, good proper absinthe-- it's just a little undistinguished compared to the great ones, but there's nothing wrong with it. I didn’t catch any of the “funk” I’ve heard others report (admittedly my bottle is, at this point, quite well-aged though…).
Flavor/Mouthfeel: It's correct & proper-- I still like Lucid, even after trying several other varieties of Absinthe-- if it's got a flaw, it's that there's still a little more "burn" instead of "smooth" than I'd expect from a top-notch absinthe, and set next to Jade & La Clandestine-- two of the others I've tried-- it comes off as undistinguished, but only by comparison though. Still totally acceptable & nothing wrong with it – I’m tempted to give it a 4, but in the end I think 3.5 is the right spot.
Finish: The standard descriptor by the 3, "Lingers pleasantly, no outstanding characteristics." says it all-- nothing wrong, just not truly "outstanding".
Overall: It fits the 3 rating perfectly-- IMO, entirely acceptable and it's the very epitome of the proper mid-market standard.
Further comments:
As I've indicated previously-- I like Lucid, I'm going to keep drinking it occasionally, and when I finish this bottle, I'm going to buy another one. It's my standard, go-to, ordinary occasion Absinthe. It's my "I just want to enjoy sipping on a simple glass of absinthe at the end of a long day..." choice. I gave it the ratings I did because Lucid is the middle of the road standard: I'm well aware there are absinthes that are made better, are more complex, perhaps ultimately tastier-- and I plan to indulge in them when I can, whenever I want something good & complex; and definitely for special occasions. The existence of higher end absinthe doesn't change my decision that Lucid has a place in my liquor cabinet and at my table. However, since Lucid is readily available, it's also still my "baseline"-- I find Lucid fully acceptable, but any Absinthe that doesn't compare favorably with Lucid is unacceptable to me-- it is the basic standard that others must equal or exceed.

For those interested: I'm actually not quite sure of the exact water-to-absinthe ratio I use as a fractional measurement-- but I use the same glasses, I fill the reservoir with absinthe to the same line, I fill it to 1/2" from the brim with ice water every time I prepare absinthe, using a broullier or dripping over a spoon, with a sugar cube-- so I am consistent in my methods and amounts each time. And yes, I'm one of those who always takes absinthe with sugar by preference.

Broke out my bottle of Lucid for a night-cap and a tasting session with the WS Absinthe Score sheet last night (and posted the initial version of this in the forum, but now I can post it where it belongs… ?
The appearance is natural, correct, clear, acceptable-- but IMO too pale for the 4 or 5 ratings.
Louche: well, it's a great Louche—I’m tempted to give it a 5, except that I've seen Jade N.O. and La Clandestine after louching... Lucid’s good, but not the best
Aroma: I think it's acceptable, correct, good proper absinthe-- it's just a little undistinguished compared to the great ones, but there's nothing wrong with it. I didn’t catch any of the “funk” I’ve heard others report (admittedly my bottle is, at this point, quite well-aged though…).
Flavor/Mouthfeel: It's correct & proper-- I still like Lucid, even after trying several other varieties of Absinthe-- if it's got a flaw, it's that there's still a little more "burn" instead of "smooth" than I'd expect from a top-notch absinthe, and set next to Jade & La Clandestine-- two of the others I've tried-- it comes off as undistinguished, but only by comparison though. Still totally acceptable & nothing wrong with it – I’m tempted to give it a 4, but in the end I think 3.5 is the right spot.
Finish: The standard descriptor by the 3, "Lingers pleasantly, no outstanding characteristics." says it all-- nothing wrong, just not truly "outstanding".
Overall: It fits the 3 rating perfectly-- IMO, entirely acceptable and it's the very epitome of the proper mid-market standard.
Further comments:
As I've indicated previously-- I like Lucid, I'm going to keep drinking it occasionally, and when I finish this bottle, I'm going to buy another one. It's my standard, go-to, ordinary occasion Absinthe. It's my "I just want to enjoy sipping on a simple glass of absinthe at the end of a long day..." choice. I gave it the ratings I did because Lucid is the middle of the road standard: I'm well aware there are absinthes that are made better, are more complex, perhaps ultimately tastier-- and I plan to indulge in them when I can, whenever I want something good & complex; and definitely for special occasions. The existence of higher end absinthe doesn't change my decision that Lucid has a place in my liquor cabinet and at my table. However, since Lucid is readily available, it's also still my "baseline"-- I find Lucid fully acceptable, but any Absinthe that doesn't compare favorably with Lucid is unacceptable to me-- it is the basic standard that others must equal or exceed.

For those interested: I'm actually not quite sure of the exact water-to-absinthe ratio I use as a fractional measurement-- but I use the same glasses, I fill the reservoir with absinthe to the same line, I fill it to 1/2" from the brim with ice water every time I prepare absinthe, using a broullier or dripping over a spoon, with a sugar cube-- so I am consistent in my methods and amounts each time. And yes, I'm one of those who always takes absinthe with sugar by preference.

This is my first review, though not my first absinthe. Lucid's general status seems to be in the "damned with faint praise" category, so I'm interested in seeing how I score it out. Some things unrelated to score - I like the newest bottle design, the prior version with just the "cat's eyes" graphic has rubbed me the wrong way on viewing it. The new version, with a silver-and-green wormwood motif, with the cat's eyes still there but more subtle, is a big improvement, in my opinion. I'm using my second glass of the evening for the purposes of this review.

This bottle was opened yesterday, and it seems that on freshly opening a bottle I always get a strong whiff of alcohol. Having sat opened for a day, the aroma from the bottle is more anise-y and almost a caramel sort of scent. It smells sweet. Pouring it into a glass, the sweetness fades away and it's more anise and fennel. There is no "funk" coming from the bottle or neat from the glass.

APPEARANCE: No haze that I can see on raising the glass parallel to the light, but a somewhat pale, golden/honey color. It should be noted this bottle is from a holiday gift pack that had gone unsold in a local liquor store, so it's been sitting for at least 4 months. It's clean and attractive, but a little pale, overall.

LOUCHE: Not too thin, not too thick; I would not describe it as opalescent, but it's a bit one-dimensional. There's nothing terribly wrong with it, but also nothing outstanding.

AROMA: Not a hint of alcohol. Mostly dominated by anise and fennel, but there are some faint, trailing odors of flowers and pine. It's an attractive, enticing aroma; somewhat above average.

FLAVOR/MOUTHFEEL: Probably the area where I feel Lucid is strongest. The texture is very smooth, not at all oily or grainy, and is somewhat creamy - it feels good to move it over and around my tongue. The upfront flavor is dominated by anise and fennel, with some woody/flowery notes I'm not really able to properly identify, with some bitterness and peppery notes hitting later on. Very satisfying.

FINISH: Unfortunately, those bitter and peppery notes hijack the finish to a degree that seems excessive. There's some additional heat, here, as well. As good as this absinthe tastes, the finish is somewhat poor. Not enough to ruin it, but in my opinion it's a sub-par finish.

OVERALL: Overall, I feel this is a slightly above-average absinthe. It's not in the same league as the other, more highly-acclaimed absinthes I've had before it, but I think it deserves a little more acclaim than it gets. Lucid is one of the most widely-available absinthes in the U.S., and there are many other industries that would be lucky to have this "level" of product to be as good as this. It's not amazing, but it is a good, solid absinthe.

Review was done with a 4:1 ratio, with sugar.

UPDATED 06/25/2014:

I was buying some wine this week (and always check the absinthes) and noticed the Lucid bottles they had in stock looked odd. It was selling for a fairly cheap price so grabbed a bottle. It is indeed a new bottle design!

How can you tell?
+ Much taller - Lucid is now the one absinthe that does not fit in my cabinet (it used to).
+ Squarer shoulders - no longer as rounded at the top... had a sharper, squarer edge.
+ No more "dimple" at the bottom of the bottle.
+ Labeling seems the same otherwise.

I had to sample it as well. It is nearly the same as I remember BUT doesn't have that "funk/beet" taste which in the past turned me off so much. I am very pleased with that! [probably has nothing whatsoever to do with the bottle shape, of course]

I have shifted most of my original scores up a bit in consideration of this. There must have been something off about the previous bottling as this is a clean, crisp spirit which doesn't exhibit any of the peculiarities noted in my original review. It is quite tasty!

A well-made absinthe that is available just about everywhere. Not a bad situation we have here.


ORIGINAL REVIEW:

Appearance: The color is a light green/yellowish as most other absinthes I've seen. Nothing remarkable but nothing offensive either :)

Louche: I like how this one louches. It sort of builds from bottom to top and retains a thin layer of unlouched absinthe until about nearly prepared. The louche itself is nice and thick - which tends to be my preference.

Aroma: Definitely smells like absinthe - but for the underlying beet scents. I find them to be distracting of the other aromas and that's really too bad. This is definitely the weak point in this absinthe! I enjoy some other absinthes that just blossom with aroma and wash over you... not this one though.

Flavor: Nice, usual, and as expected. Little bit of numbing and warmth - which is nice.

Mouthfeel: Has an okay creaminess to it as I would expect from the louche - though I'm too inexperienced to know whether these two qualities go hand-in-hand.

Finish: Nothing particularly striking.

Overall: I'm going to let this age a bit and see whether that underlying scent goes away. I have a bottle of Kubler which is a few months old and where at first it had an odd sort of "funk" to the scent... after hanging around in my absinthe cupboard it no longer does. Let's do a little experiment with Lucid :)

Definitely not the poor product some make it out to be - but I have (in my limited experience) had much better for the same price.