Absinth Original was one of my first online purchases of absinth since moving back to the States. I'm very glad to say that my affair with the Original was short-lived.
The color is not unpleasant and fairly natural looking, but could use improvement.
Water produces an extremely weak louche, but there is at least SOME clouding.
The aroma is mostly alcohol burn with a tad bit of anise dancing around in the back, struggling to be noticed.
Lots of bitterness comes through in the taste and lingers in the back of the throat. An indicator of macerated wormwood. There's a slight sweetness that I can pick up in the back from the anise, but it's practically non-existent. The rest is burn, which lasts for a while, even at a 3:1 dilution ratio.
Overall, I'll never go back to this one. But I WILL use it as a comparative education tool when I am discussing the differences between absinth and absinthe with newcomers to the scene.