The nose is extremely heavy on ethanol with a suggestion of anise and spice. The heat is immediately noticeable on the palate immediately with a very mild wormwood flavor and light sweetness. The mouthfeel is extremely dry, and it removes all moisture from your mouth when consumed straight. The addition of water opens up the wormwood to create a more bitter anise-forward beverage with herbal notes in the background. The spirit is slightly earthy in color and has no visible addition of green dye, although earlier bottlings may have had this green dye added. The addition of water creates a light louche effect turning the spirit into a liquid that looks like lemon juice. There is not an extreme louche effect here. Decent stuff for the price. The spirit is present at even small rinses in cocktails.