I like this absinthe very much. The affordability of it, the flavor, the base, everything.

Straight from the bottle the color is a very deep green, stemmy or leaf like green-leaves that have been on a tree all summer long type green, dark and aged. Very nice! Clearly a verte when in an absinthe glass.

The louche is quick forming, at about 1:1 ratio. I always get a little weary with quick louches as they seem to dissipate before 4:1 or 5:1 ratios, but this louche holds and is nice and thick, but not too thick.

The straight aroma without water added is nicely alcoholic, like perfume, not harsh, but sweet and aromatic, herbal and grassy. Not like a freshly cut lawn, but like a field after an afternoon rainstorm. After water it is subdued and the sweeter notes open up. Very nice, very refreshing and relaxing!

The flavor is an odd mix. Wormwood, lemon, anise, some vanilla undertones are there, but they're almost all overpowered by a very floral rose like flavor that comes in from the back and dominates the finish. For me, it's very similar to the dominant flavor in Germain-Robin's absinthe blanche. I have no idea what this flavor is, perhaps vanilla, perhaps lemon verbena or rose-geranium. It's a mellowing and very floral flavor. It's almost too much and almost dominates all of the other flavors, and could easily have done so had there been a little more, but it is just enough to be noticed without demanding attention.

The finish begins with the receding mystery floral flavor, and what lingers is a pleasant lemon/wormwood mix. The characteristics of the wormwood are all the right ones, pleasantly tangy but not bitter. The lemony like finish that exists is also nice but not overly acidic. There are some earthy undertones in the back of the mouth that I think are lingering from the mystery floral/rose geranium like flavor.

Overall, this is a great absinthe, great quality and consistency for the price. The flavor is a little unbalanced, but I like that in the occasional absinthe, and the flavor profile of this absinthe is quite nice. I would hardly change it at all.