The colour is a little more yellow than peridot, but very nice looking. It's not natural but it does a good job of faking it; I have to score on what I see and not what I know. Clear with no sediment. It smells strongly of star anise. There's a little bit of lemon. Very sweet smelling.

The louche is very quick and very thick. This is where it becomes obvious the colour is not natural; after water it's almost a neon greenish-yellow. It surprisingly doesn't leave chalky traces on the glass. Water kills the lemon aroma and it just becomes lots of anise.

There's as expected a syrupy sweet star anise flavour. It's a little on the acrid side but not terrible. Not exactly refreshing, but alright for a candy drink. Very thick, greasy mouth-feel. The finish is not particularly eventful. Numbing with a twinge of bitterness.

This isn't a brilliant beverage by any means but at least it's drinkable, thanks to the lack of added wormwood oil that makes its oil mix absinthe counterpart undrinkable.

The color is not too bad, at least it looks natural. Water brings about a slow-developing louche that's not great, but it's also not too bad. It still retains a hint of green, but no opalescence that you look for in a good absinthe. The aroma is not the most appetizing with a hint of funk beneath the anis and some alcohol burn in the nostrils. I was surprised with the bitterness that showed through all of the anis. It's not a complex flavor. Pretty much what you taste is anis.



Overall, it's disappointing that a company that is looked upon so venerably for its history of absinthe quality would make such a low quality reproduction. I wish they would bring back the Pernod of old, and not this mixed stuff.