Bloomberg: "Absinthe trickling back into the U.S."

The L.A. Times picked up a Bloomberg article on absinthe which helps fill in details on the approval process for Kübler and Lucid in the U.S. I had previously thought that Lucid did all the legal wrangling, but according to the article, Kübler (really Altamar Brands, its North American distributor) did most of the leg work (according to Wikipedia, getting "formula" approval (?) from the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau ("TTB") in 2004), with Lucid dealing with the last problem of labeling the beverage as "absinthe," apparently resulting in the "absinthe supérieure" designation. From the TTB "Industry Circular" #2007-5 dated Oct. 16, 2007:

The term "absinthe" may not stand alone on the label; it must be accompanied by additional or dispelling information so as not to appear as the class and type designation.

All in all, the Altamar Brands folks are doing a fine job of getting the word out about absinthe in the U.S.

Lucid Absinthe Supérieure... for the U.S. market?!

Somehow, Viridian Spirits of Manhasset, N.Y. has managed to get US approval for what appears to be an actual "absinthe" with apparently significant consulation with Mr. Ted Breaux. The New York Times reported this last week (Times Select) (Lucid article pdf) and while I haven't had time to do much research and the marketing sort of rubs me the wrong way (unlike, for instance, the Jade designs), I'd like to hear more about how it tastes; one account here by Darko is pretty complimentary. Still scratching my head...

Update: Donnie Darko posted the first official Lucid review on the Fee Verte Forums, scoring it 80/100.