-Color-
Before Water:
Very attractive and natural medium gem green.

After Water:
Louched glass presents a nice light green-olive color.

-Louche-
Good action, maybe on the quick side initially but the clear line stayed awhile. Final louche is on the thicker side.

-Aroma-
Before Water:
Pleasantly strong herbaceous and flowery citrus aroma. The punch of herbal notes reminds me a little of Helfrich Verte.

After Water:
More of the same with a little cinnamon and perhaps menthol.

-Flavor and Mouthfeel-
Very enjoyable and well balanced flavor, again with herbaceous and citric notes being in the forefront with a serving of sweetness. There is a bit of cinnamon spice and perhaps a little star anise- but not enough to annoy me as it usually does. Mouthfeel is neither thick nor thin, I’d it’s about right until the finish.

-Finish-
The citrus and wormwood bitterness are the primaries in the finish with the pinch of cinnamon becoming a bit spicier. The tongue numbing is a bit excessive and just slightly annoying, but thankfully the star anise seems to have been used sparingly.

-Overall-
Having heard that the Montmartre had declined in quality in recent years, I was very pleasantly surprised by this sample (ABSINTHEXPLORE sample from Absinthes.com). The only detractor was the star anise, but unless you can’t stand badiane in any amount, I don’t think it’ll spoil the drink for too many folks. If what I tasted is what’s in the full bottles currently available for purchase, I’d say it’s worth having in your absinthe stash.

Notes: 3.5:1, iced brouille.