Walton Waters is the first of two reviews taking a look at the absinthe coming out of the one-woman operation that is Delaware Phoenix Distillery. How does she handle the role of a one-woman army? Let’s get to tasting.

The appearance neat is reminiscent of a leaf changing colours for fall, bright green with a bit of brown. Solid louche with nice layering, resulting in a colour more white than I would have thought judging by the colour inside the bottle. Regardless, it is creamy and full.

The nose has a good deal of hyssop like the Meadow of Love (DP‘s other absinthe), but with more notable anise and lemon, with a tad bit of heat poking through. There’s a distinct “freshly baked” vibe reminiscent of cake that is just delectable! I had the pleasure of tasting an absinthe soufflé a while back, and when you cut into it, the wormwood aroma would pour out…scrumptious.

There is a generous measure of hyssop, thyme and fennel, balanced by a clean, mildly spicy undercurrent. Not much anise like I was getting in the aroma. There’s an increasing sweetness mid-palate, with a gradual easing down into the finish with a satisfying, earthy lingering. With this sweet character and unique, smooth harmony, there’s a quality I’d like to call candied, but it's more visceral than that, so I will allude once again to my description of :cake-like".  Another glass?  Sure!

As with the Vieux Carre, at moments I did think it was just a tad too sweet, but it does have keen balance as a whole. If you have a sweet tooth, add a point to the score, get online, and order this pronto.

Other Notes:  Batch #9. I enjoyed this absinthe best served at a 3.5:1 ratio.  Reaction from others who sampled this was a resounding “wow.” Bring this one to your next tasting or suffer interminably.

Presentation: 7.8

Louche: 8.2

Taste: 8.4

Value: 8.5

Overall: 8.4/10