Review Detail

Aroma:
Before water - Anise forward backed by woodsy, earthy notes, the faint aroma of cocoa nibs, a little sugar coated fennel, and minor alcohol burn. Very inviting, I want to savor it a while before I add water.
After water - The anise filled the entire room once the water began to drip in. Chocolaty, earthy, minty, sweet fennel, delightful. Like walking through an herb garden. I wanted to make sure I had a few glasses of this before writing this, but there's a powdered sugar note that reminds me of 1913 Pernod Fils.
Appearance:
Before water - Nice deep emerald with peridot edges
After water - Pretty uniformly creamy pistachio green, but when looking down through the top some turquoise and blue green shows up with gold light refracting around the edges. Very pleasing to look at
Louche:
I wish the first few drops were slower so I could watch the bright gold and blue trails shoot through the spirit, but it quickly becomes a pearlescent green cloud.
Taste:
The sip rushes in bold and rich on the front of the tongue, then thins out blossoming into cooling balm and mint notes, like chewing on a handful of fresh botanicals. Minty with notes of artisanal creamy, herbal chacolate. Round herbal notes, no bite or sharpness, great balance. Evokes a sense of a nice sunny, crisp, still warm autumn afternoon on a walk through a forest. I get some star anise, peppermint, and maybe licorice root. I'm also picking up that 1913 Pernod Fils powdered sugar note that I noted on the aroma.
Finish:
The anise fades leaving behind minty, refreshing wormwood and balm.
Overall:
The story of this distillery is simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking. This is a fantastic absinthe evoking notes of its predecessors that inspired it. It's tragic to know it's no longer in production