Colour: Pale green, yellow chartreuse. Bright, clear and natural

Louche: Good. A little quick. I free pour the water from a pitcher so the water stream varies from a quick drip to thin stream. Perhaps with a more consistent drip the louche might develop a bit better. Colour after water ranges from pale green pistachio to a murky yellow green

Aroma: Awesome. Wintergreen mint, tropical fruit, piney herbs, citrus tang. Very fresh and crisp. Can really smell the fennel. Very pleasant

Flavour: Earthy mint, eau-de-vie, juicy fruit, woody notes, camphor, rosemary, fennel. Medium body. Excellent wormwood flavour. Complex and just delicious

Finish: Sharp bitterness gives way to a more herbal bitterness then finishes dry. Medicinal tongue-numbing throughout and the herbal flavours of anise, wormwood and fennel lasts awhile

Overall: This is a very high quality absinthe. I can tell that the best quality herbs and base-spirits were used in the manufacture. The aroma and flavour are amazing

Color is a very pretty peridot that really does present well in full sunlight. The aroma before water is interesting - balanced but something else is hiding in the shadows. Louching is very, *very* particular with this one. I find that if I don't use a very slow drip with very cold water that things turn out too thin and not only the louche but the mouthfeel and flavor is also impacted. With proper care... it louches quite nicely if one takes the necessary care and time and brings out a complex assortment of flavours to enjoy! Using a bubble-glass, I can almost guarantee proper preparation so long as the water is cold enough. The finish is where those spicy notes really rise up and make themselves known - but they are present in the drink proper as well. Nice "coating" of the mouth and a well-rounded finish with slight numbing. Really well-rounded.

A nice absinthe with all of the expected pieces falling into place along with a certain spiciness I cannot place, but enjoy nonetheless. Watch that louche!

Color: Marteau starts off very beautiful. A deep yellow-green that is clear yet solid. A very nice almost precious stone look, as if it was jewelry in my glass.

Louche: The louche is wonderful when done properly with a slow cold drip. Anything other than that seemed to cause Marteau to be thin. It is also thin when a higher ratio is used. At 1:4 with an ice cold slow drip it louches like a dream though. Lots of oil trails dance around so it is wonderful to watch. One for sitting down and enjoying the experience, not a quick glass to pour.

Aroma: The aroma is nice, it can be smelled from a nice distance from the glass but doesn't fill the room. Marteau has a certain spice to it as well as the herbs. The aroma itself is complex which can be tasted later. Intentionally taking a whiff will get you some alcohol heat, but just letting the smell hit your nose is very pleasant.

Flavor: Wonderful flavor. This is herbal and spiced at the same time. With each sip I tried to pick out a new flavor, which is hard since it is so well balanced. At lower ratios it has some of that alcohol heat that you can smell which I prefer in my drinks. More water will bring out more flavors so adding more is not a bad idea for taste if you don't mind losing the alcohol flavor.

Finish: The finish is a cool finish with some dancing of the flavors but overall it is as complex as the initial flavor is and doesn't change much else. There is a nice numbing sensation just a bit. Not as much as some other absinthes but still nice.

Overall: This is a high quality absinthe with a wonderful taste and initial color. The louche is wonderful when done right but could use a bit more versatility. Aroma, Taste, and Finish are all done well which makes this absinthe a wonderful experience for the night.

INTRODUCTORY NOTE: I found this Absinthe best experienced at 4.5:1 with no sugar. Thanks go out to the generous provider of this sample, for review purposes.


Color - 5/5 : Crystal clear, light, radiant peridot. No flaws, beautiful.

Louche - 4/5 : Started with a slow icy drip and watched oily bursts begin to pool at the bottom. Around .5:1, very beautiful snow-globe effect. Layering beginning at 1:1 and fully louched at 3-3.5:1. Louche is a tad thin (balancing the flavor w/ more water can exacerbate this thinness).

Aroma - 4/5 : While louching, alcoholy. Fennel on the front of the nose, alpiny-mint with a hint of a floral bouquet just behind that. Louched, very balanced, A.a. smells so good!

Flavor - 4/5 : Somewhat of a strong alcohol-heat presence, even at 4:1. As mentioned, balancing this out w/ more water is only deleterious to the louche and finish, so pick your poison. This is indeed a very spicy and complex drink, the flavors of the herbs are dancing round, here. Natural sweetness wraps things up.

Finish : 4/5 - Spicy, sweet/floral, spicy again, in that order. Nice, smooth sweetness after swallow, then a bitterness on the back of the tongue, and some peppery heat. Despite having a tad thin of a louche, the mouthfeel is excellent.


Overall : 4/5 - Very, very good drink. Drink this one only with the time to contemplate it. My only qualm is the amount of detectable heat, if that mellowed with some aging, this would be a top-shelf

Final weighted score: 4.16

Light emerald green, a lovely color. The louche starts as a faint cloud and then gets denser, and then very dense, slow and exact layering. Color after water is a green with lighter green tints. The aroma is very clean with varied herbal alpine notes, anise and citrus. After louche, a pleasant alpine aroma with strong after hints of wormwood, faint citrus. The mouth feel is velvety and smooth with a slight numbing. The taste is herbal with a very pronounced presence of wormwood, with additional wormwood notes, minty, complex and floral. The after taste is lingering, soft and smooth, spicy presence with final wormwood. The wormwood is exceptional. Its contribution in combination with the anise is excellent. It is obvious that this is a very well made product.