The Color is crystal clear, an easy 5.

The Louche is quite quick to form, I am assuming because of the lower proof. A fountain helps, but set that drip slow and don't blink.

The Aroma before water is clean, crisp, a bit alcoholic. After water it opened up a bit, not particularly complex.

The Flavor is nice, not too sweet. Not too complex, either. Not that that's a bad thing, this is a definite cold refresher on a summer day.

The Finish is pretty quick. Nice, but pretty quick.

Overall, I like this one. More so than I thought I would. It goes down easy and will definitely see me leaning toward the Blanches this summer. At the price it will definitely be an always-in-stock brand.

This is my second absinthe and first blanche, opened two months ago.

Color: Clear. A blanche is a blanche is a blanche.

Louche: With a carafe of ice water and the steadiest of hands, the louche happens too rapidly for my taste. I could see a fountain allowing for a far more attractive louche, though without opals or pearls.

Aroma: Crisp and clear, making for a refreshing summer drink. The anise is far forward, as others have noted.

Flavor: With a half of a sugar cube, this is a treat! The forward anise is a pleasant flavor to play with on the tongue. After the two months of being open, the alcohol kick has mellowed and a subtle minty bitterness has come forward, balancing out the anise very nicely. Since these are the two main flavors I can detect, I would presume the minty bitterness to be wormwood. Note: My palate is still new to absinthe (still having difficulty discerning fennel), and is generally unaccustomed to bitterness, which leads me to sugar this brand.

Finish: It's over far too soon. There is a slight creaminess which only makes me wish it had more. The anise aftertaste is pleasant, and makes me want another sip.

Overall: The simple, straightforward aroma and flavor of Kubler make for an excellent absinthe for a beginner to learn some basics and to train the palate. With it this affordable for the volume (I paid $52 for the liter), Kubler is an great "everyday" absinthe, and I hope to always have some on-hand. Note: I have had difficulty finding the right water:absinthe ratio for my taste with Kubler, though it is possible that it shifted with the age of the bottle and as my palate has developed. This review was done with approximately 3.5 water to 1 absinthe.

Color: It's a blanche and it's perfectly clear.



Louche: Thick and opaque. Nice trails, nice layering but it builds too quickly.



Aroma: The fennel in Kubler is very forward and unmistakable. The fennel and anise are dominant. The wormwood is very subdued but if you really look for it it's there. I struggled with whether to grant this a 3 or a 4. I don't find it peculiar or unpleasant, but I do consider it unbalanced. I'll go with a 4 because while I don't find it interesting it certainly isn't incorrect or unpleasant.



Flavor: Pretty one dimensional. That anise and fennel overpower all else. It is clean and refreshing but a bit too sweet for my taste. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it, but I couldn't drink too much of it at one time.



Finish: That creamy fennel comes out swinging in the finish and finally the wormwood makes it's presence known imparting a slight bitterness. All in all though not very complex and the duration isn't long.



Overall: This absinthe is all about the fennel. It's an herb I can discern quite easily due to chewing on it as a kid. I would find this product far more enjoyable if the wormwood profile was bumped up a bit and it wasn't as sweet. Still it's great to have a quality, traditional La Bleue on the U.S. market. The price point also makes it a good value - 1 ltr. for $60.

Preparation
Kubler was my first bottle of a Blanche Absinthe and I was most eager to try it, and of course compare it to the many Verte Absinthe brands I've tried to date and for the most part really enjoyed. The open bottle was left to breathe for thirty minutes or so and a carafe of ice water used to dilute the Absinthe and develop the Louche.
Color Before Water
Crystal clear. Absolutely no sediment. There's the slightest viscosity to it, otherwise it looks and pours much like Vodka or any other crystal clear liqueur.
Aroma Before Water
I really love the aroma, but then I adore Fennel and Anise. I found the Anise and Fennel vapors the most strong and prominent. There are lighter notes which I found hard to place and even harder to describe. It's crisp and there's a far away hint of pine, as for the wormwood or any other herbal or botanical aroma I was hard pressed to perceive it. The heat of alcohol didn't seem to be as strong as I expected. All in all a nice scent, pleasant and uncomplicated.

Louche


Talk about a fast Louche! the Louche begins immediately upon the addition of water and expands dramatically fast throughout the glass. Like a thick white smoke it swirls and rolls, getting thicker and more dense until it reaches a milky white color with the faintest - and I mean faintest hint of blue. It does Louche but the speed at which it happens is a bit of draw back, still fun to watch though. Just don't blink your eyes or you'll miss it.
Aroma After Water
The Fennel and Anise still dominate. But those softer undertones of a Pine like scent were absolutely detectable. The aroma may not be dazzling, but it's appetizing and clean with nothing off putting or peculiar about it.
Flavor
Very sweet, but not in an artificial way. Again the Anise and Fennel really lead the pack and pretty much over power anything else. After a few days and a few tries I would roll the Absinthe around my tongue and it was here that I could pick up a bitter bite of Wormwood to offset the sweetness. I would venture to say that if they boosted the Wormwood a bit more up front, the taste would be more like a higher end Absinthe and less like Sambuca.
Kubler is still a very tasty palatable drink, I would avoid the use of sugar, even if this is your first glass of Absinthe as the natural sweetness is more than enough. This aside I find it delicious and the mouth feel that's very pleasant but perhaps a bit thin.
The Finish
Delicious, although the sweetness lingers it does give way to bit more complexity. Kubler is absolutely devoid of any funky or strange aftertastes.The sweetness does fade and leaves a taste of Anise and Fennel on the palate which is really quite nice.
Final Impression
Kubler is a fine Absinthe - is it top shelf? I wouldn't think so. However it's a quality product and makes for a tantalizing, refreshing drink. I would also say it's most reasonable price point of around $50 makes it an excellent buy as well.

I love this absinthe! I find the taste, quality and value outstanding.