Color
Unlouched, a very clear and bright medium peridot with an amber overtone. A strong level of color, unquestionably natural looking. Louched, nice green retention with amber highlights and some whitish blue at the edges and meniscus.

Louche
The weight of this louche shows good restraint, and the resulting ample translucence to really get some maximum refractions of all the classic louche tones. Very opalescent, very colorful, just about as good as it gets.

Aroma
Spicy, herbal, savory, rooty up front. There is an assertive honesty to this that really sets it apart from most. Very fresh and immediate. The trinity, featuring that great Ridge wormwood, is perfectly evident. Pontica definitely talking, as well. As this has aged, some dustier herbs and flowers have emerged, especially when it warms. A little camphor and some lemon curd bring it all into focus. Very complex and balanced.

Flavor
A round, fruity attack followed immediately by the well measured insistence of the Artemisias and coriander. Very clean, smooth mouthfeel and a nice sense of weight. A very spicy, dry, savory overall impression, however not austere. The trinity, again, is right in the mix and very balanced with all the other components. Just enough minty and lemony notes to bring an offsetting brightness.

Finish
A round anisy, fennely linger that quickly segues to a spiciness and some tingle. It all eventually lands on anise and wormwood and just goes on and on. Very long.

Overall
Of the high-quality modern vertes I've tried, this is one of the few with a truly unique and distinctive personality. It's earthy, spicy, honest and grounded. Very workman-like in it's execution. Very clean, very high quality, very immediate, very no-nonsense, right in keeping with the Ridge house style. Every time I louche one of these up (which by the way, my favorite ratio is a little lean of 5:1), I am excited with anticipation, and the glass never lasts quite long enough. Like all the top scoring absinthes I have reviewed, the difference between a score of 4 or 5 in any given category was a razor's edge, and in those where I awarded a 4, I probably could have given a 5 and supported it. I swear, I need to start reviewing some more mediocre absinthes. They're way easier! Right now, I'm tasting this for probably the 10th time for this review (oh, the pain!), and I can tell you this is a pleasure to have in the collection for those times when I want a quintessential absinthe experience.

Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 4:1, 4.5:1, 4.8:1, 5:1 and no sugar.

Ridge Extrait d'Absinthe Verte, 11/20/10, 11/27/10, 12/21/10, 1/04/11, 1/08/11, 1/15/11.
All evaluations had consistent notes.