Kübler Absinthe Supérieure - US Release - Reviewed by Experts and Consumers at The Wormwood Society
Product Details
Available in USA?
Style/Color
Degrees ABV (% alcohol)
Year of Make (if known)
Country of Origin
Distillery
Editor reviews
Pretty, Clean, Refreshing
(Updated: September 12, 2012)
Overall rating
3.2
Appearance
4.0
Louche
3.0
Aroma
3.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.0
Finish
3.0
Overall
3.0
Color
Pre-louche it is perfectly clear and colorless. Louched it is milky grayish white with pewter highlights.
Louche
Starts out with thick entertaining trails, and clear delineation of louched/un-louched layer, but don't look the other way. FAST! It all goes cloudy real quick, even with a relatively slow drip. If you wanted to belly up with a batch of popcorn and watch the show, you would have to drip so slowly that you'd never get to drink it! Fully louched by 1.5:1. Final color is very straightforward... nothing wrong, nothing compelling.
Aroma
All anise and fennel pre-louche. Post louche, anise really predominates. Wormwood and fennel are there, but definitely secondary. Not particularly complex (it's the trinity), but very fresh and inviting. As the temperature of the drink comes up, the nose comes into better balance.
Flavor
Palate impression follows nose very accurately. Anise, wormwood, fennel, in that order. Clean and fresh, gentle, gentle drying from the wormwood. Really very pleasant and satisfying. The wormwood sensation, although dominated by the anise and fennel, builds gently in the mouth with each sip.
Finish
Follows palate very well. Nice soft drying on finish, and a little minty. Absolutely nothing wrong.
Overall
A very pleasant blanche. No surprises, no disappointments. Not challenging, but very refreshing. Solid. I would call this conventionally pretty as opposed to distinctive. I want this one around.
Revisit 7/04/09 - Most original observations persist, however I have lowered the scores for both Aroma and Flavor from 4s to 3s. A year of experience with this beverage, and my ability to detect a slight "off" aroma and flavor are the reasons for this. Also, in both categories, this absinthe doesn't quite exhibit the kind of completeness or complexity necessary to garner 4s. Still, an acceptable and refreshing beverage.
Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 3:1, and no sugar.
Kubler 53 USA 11/06/08, 11/08/08, 7/04/09.
All evaluations had consistent notes.
Pre-louche it is perfectly clear and colorless. Louched it is milky grayish white with pewter highlights.
Louche
Starts out with thick entertaining trails, and clear delineation of louched/un-louched layer, but don't look the other way. FAST! It all goes cloudy real quick, even with a relatively slow drip. If you wanted to belly up with a batch of popcorn and watch the show, you would have to drip so slowly that you'd never get to drink it! Fully louched by 1.5:1. Final color is very straightforward... nothing wrong, nothing compelling.
Aroma
All anise and fennel pre-louche. Post louche, anise really predominates. Wormwood and fennel are there, but definitely secondary. Not particularly complex (it's the trinity), but very fresh and inviting. As the temperature of the drink comes up, the nose comes into better balance.
Flavor
Palate impression follows nose very accurately. Anise, wormwood, fennel, in that order. Clean and fresh, gentle, gentle drying from the wormwood. Really very pleasant and satisfying. The wormwood sensation, although dominated by the anise and fennel, builds gently in the mouth with each sip.
Finish
Follows palate very well. Nice soft drying on finish, and a little minty. Absolutely nothing wrong.
Overall
A very pleasant blanche. No surprises, no disappointments. Not challenging, but very refreshing. Solid. I would call this conventionally pretty as opposed to distinctive. I want this one around.
Revisit 7/04/09 - Most original observations persist, however I have lowered the scores for both Aroma and Flavor from 4s to 3s. A year of experience with this beverage, and my ability to detect a slight "off" aroma and flavor are the reasons for this. Also, in both categories, this absinthe doesn't quite exhibit the kind of completeness or complexity necessary to garner 4s. Still, an acceptable and refreshing beverage.
Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 3:1, and no sugar.
Kubler 53 USA 11/06/08, 11/08/08, 7/04/09.
All evaluations had consistent notes.
M
American Release - Yay!
Overall rating
3.9
Appearance
5.0
Louche
4.0
Aroma
4.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.0
Finish
3.0
Overall
4.0
Color: It's perfectly clear. It's a blanche for goodness sakes!
Louche: Nice and not too thick. It does get there fast, though.
Aroma: Clean, fresh and herbal.
Flavor: Great start! Not much in the middle but the wormwood lingers in the end.
Finish: Nice Wormwood and a bit of tongue-numb but more flavor would be better.
Overall: I like Kubler. It's a wonderful everyday absinthe and I expect to keep a bottle in easy reach on my bar. Welcome to America, Kubler!
Louche: Nice and not too thick. It does get there fast, though.
Aroma: Clean, fresh and herbal.
Flavor: Great start! Not much in the middle but the wormwood lingers in the end.
Finish: Nice Wormwood and a bit of tongue-numb but more flavor would be better.
Overall: I like Kubler. It's a wonderful everyday absinthe and I expect to keep a bottle in easy reach on my bar. Welcome to America, Kubler!
J
The first decent US-distributed absinthe
(Updated: July 20, 2011)
Overall rating
4.1
Appearance
5.0
Louche
4.0
Aroma
4.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
4.0
Finish
3.0
Overall
4.0
The US release of Kübler 53 reminds me a lot of a good arak. Well, the European one does, too, but I actually think this one is cleaner and better. The colour is perfectly clear. The louche is gorgeous but too fast, as anise is by far the dominant herb.
The aroma is very pleasant and typical of VDT blanches. A lot of anise wrapped in an ethereal, floral blanket. Wormwood is quite noticeable in the nose. Unfortunately it only barely carries over to the taste, which reminds me more of Razzouk arak than it does of any absinthe. It's anise, anise, and anise. At least it's really good anise, though, and not too sweet. Spicy and slightly camphorous. Wormwood is detectable with some effort, mostly as a floral quality on the roof of the mouth and then as a light, bitter kick in the long, anisey finish. The mouth-feel is creamy but too numbing.
The most noticeable difference between this version and the European release is the lack of the chocolaty, burnt taste that I found distracting in the latter. This is a lot more clean and appropriate tasting, although it could stand to have either the anise drawn back or the other herbs brought considerably forward. For absinthe, its suggested retail price of $49.99 without the added cost of courier shipping from Europe makes it very attractive. Yet it still costs 300% more than Razzouk while only tasting 30% better. A heftier wormwood profile would really help to fix that.
The aroma is very pleasant and typical of VDT blanches. A lot of anise wrapped in an ethereal, floral blanket. Wormwood is quite noticeable in the nose. Unfortunately it only barely carries over to the taste, which reminds me more of Razzouk arak than it does of any absinthe. It's anise, anise, and anise. At least it's really good anise, though, and not too sweet. Spicy and slightly camphorous. Wormwood is detectable with some effort, mostly as a floral quality on the roof of the mouth and then as a light, bitter kick in the long, anisey finish. The mouth-feel is creamy but too numbing.
The most noticeable difference between this version and the European release is the lack of the chocolaty, burnt taste that I found distracting in the latter. This is a lot more clean and appropriate tasting, although it could stand to have either the anise drawn back or the other herbs brought considerably forward. For absinthe, its suggested retail price of $49.99 without the added cost of courier shipping from Europe makes it very attractive. Yet it still costs 300% more than Razzouk while only tasting 30% better. A heftier wormwood profile would really help to fix that.
A
Just as enjoyable as the original
(Updated: September 13, 2008)
Overall rating
3.5
Appearance
4.0
Louche
4.0
Aroma
4.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.0
Finish
3.0
Overall
3.0
ORIGINAL REVIEW FROM 10/8/07: Color is very bright and clear, as would be expected from a blanche.
Louche begins quickly and builds well, with nice oil trails, and a clearly defined layering effect. The heaviness of the anise definitely contributes to a quick forming, thick louche. Great to watch.
The aroma is herbal, light and refreshing.
Flavor starts out well, with a nice anise sweetness which finishes with an alpine wormwood bitterness. Simple, yet extremely enjoyable.
Finish is light and creamy. Doesn't last long. That could be uninteresting while drinking solely, but advantageous if drinking while eating.
Overall: To be honest, I can't pick out any glaring differences between this version, and their European offering. It's quite good. When I'm in the mood for a blanche, this will be at the top of the list. Given the fact that I can get it for so much cheaper than the European version, there's no doubt I'll be picking this one up at the local liquor store. This absinthe makes me extremely excited to see what's going to be coming into the states in the near future! OVERALL SCORE: 4.2
UPDATED REVIEW 9-13-08: As with my Lucid review, I was forced to update my original review based on a host of new products entering the US market. On a whole, this still is a great, everyday absinthe. It's not a stand out, but it's nothing I'd recommend passing over either. It's still very clean and refreshing. Great for summer days. Although my review rating has fallen because of the wealth of comparable products, I still like this one a lot.
Louche begins quickly and builds well, with nice oil trails, and a clearly defined layering effect. The heaviness of the anise definitely contributes to a quick forming, thick louche. Great to watch.
The aroma is herbal, light and refreshing.
Flavor starts out well, with a nice anise sweetness which finishes with an alpine wormwood bitterness. Simple, yet extremely enjoyable.
Finish is light and creamy. Doesn't last long. That could be uninteresting while drinking solely, but advantageous if drinking while eating.
Overall: To be honest, I can't pick out any glaring differences between this version, and their European offering. It's quite good. When I'm in the mood for a blanche, this will be at the top of the list. Given the fact that I can get it for so much cheaper than the European version, there's no doubt I'll be picking this one up at the local liquor store. This absinthe makes me extremely excited to see what's going to be coming into the states in the near future! OVERALL SCORE: 4.2
UPDATED REVIEW 9-13-08: As with my Lucid review, I was forced to update my original review based on a host of new products entering the US market. On a whole, this still is a great, everyday absinthe. It's not a stand out, but it's nothing I'd recommend passing over either. It's still very clean and refreshing. Great for summer days. Although my review rating has fallen because of the wealth of comparable products, I still like this one a lot.
User reviews
18 reviews
Overall rating
3.7
Appearance
4.5(18)
Louche
3.8(18)
Aroma
3.6(18)
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.5(18)
Finish
3.4(18)
Overall
3.6(18)
Bare essence
Overall rating
3.3
Appearance
4.0
Louche
4.0
Aroma
2.5
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.0
Finish
3.0
Overall
3.5
Appearance- Well, it's clear.
Louche- Pretty good louche. Not *too* opaque and definitely not thin. Nice and cloudy.
Aroma- Pretty strong anise. The anise is the main thing I notice here but it's not what I would call a 'bomb', as the wormwood and other botanicals do contribute something. So it ends up being a bit of a generic 'candied' smell. Not really a terrible or even bad aroma but not nearly as balanced as I really want with an absinthe.
Flavor/Mouthfeel- The mouthfeel is good but with much less numbing than I'd like. Flavor was just like the aroma. I'm not a huge fan of licorice types of flavors but even with this being fairly anise heavy, I still enjoyed it. There was just enough of the wormwood and other flavors (subtle mint) to keep it grounded as a solid absinthe.
Finish-Not much to say. It goes quick and with no new developments either bad or good, except that I did notice the wormwood bitterness just a bit more here, which is nice, but it was very subtle.
Overall- I haven't had too many blanches but this seems like a good solid blanche. For me it's just not complex enough to want to buy more of it. Seems the price has gone up over the years, also. At $50 a liter, it would probably be a nice deal.
Louche- Pretty good louche. Not *too* opaque and definitely not thin. Nice and cloudy.
Aroma- Pretty strong anise. The anise is the main thing I notice here but it's not what I would call a 'bomb', as the wormwood and other botanicals do contribute something. So it ends up being a bit of a generic 'candied' smell. Not really a terrible or even bad aroma but not nearly as balanced as I really want with an absinthe.
Flavor/Mouthfeel- The mouthfeel is good but with much less numbing than I'd like. Flavor was just like the aroma. I'm not a huge fan of licorice types of flavors but even with this being fairly anise heavy, I still enjoyed it. There was just enough of the wormwood and other flavors (subtle mint) to keep it grounded as a solid absinthe.
Finish-Not much to say. It goes quick and with no new developments either bad or good, except that I did notice the wormwood bitterness just a bit more here, which is nice, but it was very subtle.
Overall- I haven't had too many blanches but this seems like a good solid blanche. For me it's just not complex enough to want to buy more of it. Seems the price has gone up over the years, also. At $50 a liter, it would probably be a nice deal.
M
Better than I expected
Overall rating
4.0
Appearance
4.5
Louche
3.5
Aroma
4.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
4.0
Finish
4.0
Overall
4.0
I tasted and tested all three of the blanches I had on hand one night... the biggest surprise to me, was how well Kubler fared compared to the other two-- the "competition" was La Sorciere Bleue and La Clandestine, and yet head-to-head I had a hard time telling the three apart. Ultimately, I think La Sorciere was the tastiest and edged the other two on quality-- but the difference between Kubler and La Clandestine was that La Clandestine had a slightly better taste & maybe finish (but close enough that I scored them the same) and Kubler had the best louche of the three. Maybe I was lucky enough to get a really good bottle of Kubler (no tails), but it's really quite good.
Appearance: It's a solid blanche. Very transparent, but I can still tell I poured liquid in the glass, so not quite perfect.
Louche: Acceptable-- still really opaque, but there's hints of translucency and a little more depth than I saw from La Sorciere and La Clandestine.
Aroma: Solid. Good. No complaints.
Flavor/Mouthfeel: This is a really nice-tasting, good absinthe. It's a blanche-- guess it doesn't have the complexity of some other varieties, but it's good enough to deserve the "4" I'm giving it.
Finish: Again, nice-- complex, interesting, nice duration-- no flaws. Not perfection though-- so again, I think this deserves the "4" I'm giving it.
Overall: This is a well-made Swiss classic. Maybe I should be considering it the "mid-market standard", but as good as it tastes-- it deserves the "4" I'm giving it, not a "3".
Appearance: It's a solid blanche. Very transparent, but I can still tell I poured liquid in the glass, so not quite perfect.
Louche: Acceptable-- still really opaque, but there's hints of translucency and a little more depth than I saw from La Sorciere and La Clandestine.
Aroma: Solid. Good. No complaints.
Flavor/Mouthfeel: This is a really nice-tasting, good absinthe. It's a blanche-- guess it doesn't have the complexity of some other varieties, but it's good enough to deserve the "4" I'm giving it.
Finish: Again, nice-- complex, interesting, nice duration-- no flaws. Not perfection though-- so again, I think this deserves the "4" I'm giving it.
Overall: This is a well-made Swiss classic. Maybe I should be considering it the "mid-market standard", but as good as it tastes-- it deserves the "4" I'm giving it, not a "3".
M
An unimposing, yet enjoyable Absinthe
(Updated: January 17, 2014)
Overall rating
3.1
Appearance
3.5
Louche
3.5
Aroma
2.5
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.0
Finish
3.0
Overall
3.0
Color: Clear as water. Really nothing much to say about the color :)
Louche: A lot of neat little waves and billowing cloudiness at first. It louches very quickly and doesn't give much time for appreciation. However, the resulting louche is nice and thick and naturally very, very white.
Aroma: It really seems to be lacking in aroma. I expect a lot of aroma to spring forth from the louche - but that never really happens here.
Flavor: Very sweet, even without any sugar added. With sugar is almost too sweet. Not very complex at all and the flavor is a bit dull. I don't exactly want to use a word like dull but it is somewhat appropriate.
Mouthfeel: A nice creaminess. Not much numbing at all, sadly.
Finish: I actually appreciate the finish somewhat more than the general taste of this absinthe. The botanicals seem to show up after the liquid is gone. Strange.
Overall: It's an okay absinthe. This is the only blanche I've had and based upon this will probably stick with the vertes.
UPDATE: 1/16/2014
-----------------------------------------
After having sampled a few other blanche absinthes (LCB and Blanche Neige) - I've adjusted some of my ratings as I do not believe the previous, lower scores were warranted but merely due to my unfamiliarity with the variety. Overall score remains a 3 as before.
Louche: A lot of neat little waves and billowing cloudiness at first. It louches very quickly and doesn't give much time for appreciation. However, the resulting louche is nice and thick and naturally very, very white.
Aroma: It really seems to be lacking in aroma. I expect a lot of aroma to spring forth from the louche - but that never really happens here.
Flavor: Very sweet, even without any sugar added. With sugar is almost too sweet. Not very complex at all and the flavor is a bit dull. I don't exactly want to use a word like dull but it is somewhat appropriate.
Mouthfeel: A nice creaminess. Not much numbing at all, sadly.
Finish: I actually appreciate the finish somewhat more than the general taste of this absinthe. The botanicals seem to show up after the liquid is gone. Strange.
Overall: It's an okay absinthe. This is the only blanche I've had and based upon this will probably stick with the vertes.
UPDATE: 1/16/2014
-----------------------------------------
After having sampled a few other blanche absinthes (LCB and Blanche Neige) - I've adjusted some of my ratings as I do not believe the previous, lower scores were warranted but merely due to my unfamiliarity with the variety. Overall score remains a 3 as before.
J
Kubler - Revisited
(Updated: May 27, 2012)
Overall rating
3.3
Appearance
4.0
Louche
4.0
Aroma
3.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
2.5
Finish
3.5
Overall
3.0
I am updating my review of Kubler altogether, but only one rating has changed Flavor / Mouthfeel from a 2.5 to 3.5.
Appearance (4) : Kubler is a blanche so it is very clear, but I enjoyed the authentic swiss bottle. Also, the clarity makes the louche that much more exciting!
Louche (4) : The louche is outstanding. I love the louche on a good blanche absinthe because it seems to come out of nowhere like magic, and I just love thinking of absinthe as a little magical.
Aroma (3) : The aroma is slightly strong on the fennel, which tends to be a quality that I don't like but my love of absinthe is quickly changing my feelings about fennel so it still gets a 3 for me.
Flavor / Mouthfeel (3.5) : This is the only changed rating in my updated review because I found a perfect ratio for Kubler that toned down the fennel without sacraficing the numbing effect.
Finish (3.5) : I usually enjoy a strong finish, however with Kubler I was glad that it didn't linger so the weak finish was essentially a good quality for me.
Overall (3) : The only thing keeping me from giving Kubler more than a 3 is the fact that I enjoy other absinthes more that fall in the 4 and 5 range. Kubler is great!
Appearance (4) : Kubler is a blanche so it is very clear, but I enjoyed the authentic swiss bottle. Also, the clarity makes the louche that much more exciting!
Louche (4) : The louche is outstanding. I love the louche on a good blanche absinthe because it seems to come out of nowhere like magic, and I just love thinking of absinthe as a little magical.
Aroma (3) : The aroma is slightly strong on the fennel, which tends to be a quality that I don't like but my love of absinthe is quickly changing my feelings about fennel so it still gets a 3 for me.
Flavor / Mouthfeel (3.5) : This is the only changed rating in my updated review because I found a perfect ratio for Kubler that toned down the fennel without sacraficing the numbing effect.
Finish (3.5) : I usually enjoy a strong finish, however with Kubler I was glad that it didn't linger so the weak finish was essentially a good quality for me.
Overall (3) : The only thing keeping me from giving Kubler more than a 3 is the fact that I enjoy other absinthes more that fall in the 4 and 5 range. Kubler is great!
D
Unbalanced and Simple.
Overall rating
2.5
Appearance
4.0
Louche
4.0
Aroma
2.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
2.0
Finish
1.0
Overall
2.0
Color: Clear and without any hues. No sediment or anything else obscuring the glass.
Louche: Nice louche that starts right off the bat. Very thick when it is finished and fun to watch, but not anything amazing.
Aroma: Anise hits me and honestly not much else. Seems rather one dimensional in this area.
Flavor: Simple and anise heavy. A tad bit of alcohol heat remains even at higher ratios. An odd thing for something so low proof in the absinthe world. Not much going on here but not a bad flavor either.
Finish: Goes away really fast from what I've come to expect. No changing of flavors or anything but then again it really doesn't get a chance to.
Overall: Reminds me of an absinthe substitute really. Almost nothing other than the anise is really shown. It scored points for presentation but really fell behind where it counts; flavor. I'm docking an overall point to highlight this feeling. When first on the market it may have been impressive but new competition has shown where this one really stands. I'd honestly say skip Kubler, you're not missing much.
Louche: Nice louche that starts right off the bat. Very thick when it is finished and fun to watch, but not anything amazing.
Aroma: Anise hits me and honestly not much else. Seems rather one dimensional in this area.
Flavor: Simple and anise heavy. A tad bit of alcohol heat remains even at higher ratios. An odd thing for something so low proof in the absinthe world. Not much going on here but not a bad flavor either.
Finish: Goes away really fast from what I've come to expect. No changing of flavors or anything but then again it really doesn't get a chance to.
Overall: Reminds me of an absinthe substitute really. Almost nothing other than the anise is really shown. It scored points for presentation but really fell behind where it counts; flavor. I'm docking an overall point to highlight this feeling. When first on the market it may have been impressive but new competition has shown where this one really stands. I'd honestly say skip Kubler, you're not missing much.
E