Appearance: A surprisingly green peridot, although still more towards the yellow side. Clear with just a little haziness to it that is hard to spot. Natural and obviously very well preserved. The usual dead leaf look hasn't taken its full toll yet. Amazing for the age of the sample.

Louche: Perfect opalescence with a bit more yellow hues in the body of the louche. The edges display nicely with thick silver-blue hints. The end result is a tad thick but nothing too bad at all.

Aroma: The traditional Pontarlier smell with some spicy notes peaks first. The trinity is ultimately balanced with a background tease of citrus as well. Overall the aroma harmonizes floral, fruity, and herbal very well with a slightly noticeable age aroma, often compared to leather or tobacco.

Flavor: Very soft on the palate with a warm citrus and herbal flavor directly up front. Anise is displayed nicely along with the wormwood. The spice hints almost resemble allspice but not completely. The acidity intrigues me as both malic and citric, striking a flavor somewhere between apples and oranges for sweetness. The age related leather, tobacco, and such are far in the background but still noticeable. The simplicity to complex ratio is hard to figure out as multiple flavors seem to be combined with each other. In a sense, this is a beautiful enigma!

Finish: The finish lasts a surprisingly long time. Some earthy, almost mineral, tones show up but the spice flavors dominate for the most part slowly turning to the floral sweetness to fade out. Absolutely unexpected and stunning.

Overall: Exceptional. Every ingredient appears to be not only balanced but displayed well. The soft round texture is pleasant to the palate and the flavor, as well as the finish. A stunning example of what heights absinthe can reach.

A thousand and one thanks and gratitude to the Wormwood Society member who sent this sample.