Color:
The label lists dyes, and the blue is off putting.

Louche:
Limp, and barely noticeable.

Aroma:
Smells like old man's cologne. I seriously thought this was a gag product.

Taste:
Like an old man's cologne. It tastes like it smells, and reinforced my thinking it was a gag product.

Finish:
My palate isn't as refined as others, but I couldn't go past 2 sips.

Overall:
I'm still believing this is a gag gift, and was intended as a cheap man's cologne for people who want to feel like their living dangerously. I wish there was a '0' ratings option.

In a moment of weakness and pure stupidity, I decided to purchase 750ml of Le Tourment Vert from a local Bevmo.

I have purchased only 3 bottles of Absinthe since I began drinking the delicious spirit in late September of this year. Every time I purchased a new bottle I decided to stick with my original choice, Kubler; I guess I should have known better to switch it up so early in the game. Allow me to explain myself more fully.

When I opened the bottle of Le Tourment Vert I was hit in the face (much like a brick) by a wall of alcohol, followed by a slight minty smell, followed by something similar to a mix of bleach and licorice, mixed with a little more alcohol.

After crossing myself, I looked down into the bottle and noticed a strange aqua color; a mix between neon blue and neon green. There is no natural substance I know of that will produce this sort of coloring so I am 100% positive that the coloring step was skipped almost entirely.

Upon the addition of water I noticed the color change from the strange mix of neon blue and neon green to a sluggish aqua marine. I could see directly through the glass, there was absolutely no louche what so ever (at least as far as I was concerned).

If there are any children in the room, please have them leave immediately; what you are about to read is extremely disturbing.

Shortly after downing my first shot of the Le Tourment, my senses were overwhelmed with a burst of alcohol and mint mixed with a bit of bleach, followed by a strange, booming and prolonged groan that seemed to come directly from my stomach.

I rushed into the bathroom, rinsed my mouth out with some scope (which strongly resembled the Le Tourment Vert, too much for comfort if you ask me), spit it out, poured a glass of Pernod and enjoyed the rest of my evening sipping on the Pernod and a bit of Kubler.

To some it up, this drink is not Absinthe. It is disgusting, toxic and has been found wanting.

I have since purchased a bottle of St. George, Obsello and Kubler and am currently awaiting their arrival so that I may flush this horrifying encounter with the Le Tourment Vert from my memory, entirely.

This was my third venture into the world of absinthe and I'm still somewhat of a newcomer. I lucked up and got a bottle of this for $35 on sale at my local liquor store. Although its not technically an absinthe I think its getting a bit of a bad rap.

The color you will definitely notice is very altered (it even includes a sticker on the bottle identifying the food colorings added). I was a little taken aback by this initially. Its a beautiful color, but not the color of absinthe

The louche, as some have mentioned, is not very impressive. Just a slow turn to slightly cloudy. Its still retains the bright blue color even afterwards.

The pre-louche aroma is nice. Anise with some mintyness.

The post-louche aroma is mingled with all sorts of herbal goodness. The anise is light, but still detectable.

The taste is an easy, sweet, and an herbally complex flavor. I really enjoy it. It has a lasting mint flavor and is quite refreshing. Its very different from any other absinthe that I've had.

The finish fades quickly. Like I said, its very easy to drink, but no real lasting tastes, except maybe mint. I feel the alcohol is balanced well compared to some that have a harsh alcohol taste after.

Overall I feel its a decent absinthe like product. It may not be "real" absinthe, but its still a nice tasting, refreshing drink. I recommend trying it if you can get a bottle for under $45.

(edit)
I've changed some of my scores having a little more experience with some nice traditional absinthes. This is still a tasty beverage, but it really is a sad excuse for absinthe. Enjoyable in its own right, but terrible as an absinthe.

Bottle purchased April 2008, review based on sample consumed December 2008.

This is an entertaining, if not authentic, drink. My wife brought it home from the liquor store, her having been talked into it by an employee that I assume has since been sacked. I read the reviews before I opened it up, and had a sense of gloom that my wife had been taken for a ride.

Tasting this "absinthe" didn't allay my fears. As many others have noted, it presents a blue-green Scope mouthwash homage. The pre-louche nose is bright peppermint, a very slight touch of anise, and sweetness. Nothing traditional in the nose at all.

A very weak louche can be coaxed out of the LTV with a super-slow drip of very cold water. The louche is very thin, and the color ends up a muted blue-green, as you might expect. The nose post-louche turns mainly mint, with all of the anise disappearing. Sweetness continues to present itself, and you continue to think of Scope mouthwash.

The taste is mint, with a fullness in the center of the tongue that reminds me of the "fifth taste" - umami. It's not definable, other than saying it's a full, round taste that fills out the mint. It's not an absinthe taste by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not unpleasant, either. It's just... weird.

Overall, you can't characterize this as an absinthe. It belongs, perhaps, in the liqueur category, because of the sweetness and the odd flavor. It also has a relatively low ABV (50%), which is obvious, as you never notice the alcohol. Perhaps this would make an interesting cocktail ingredient for something presented in a martini glass - the weak louche and minty taste might compliment a chocolate or lemon vodka?

When I first saw the bottle, I admit I had that "child on Christmas morning" feeling. What a great presentation. Unfortunately, my excitement receeded quickly when I opened the lovely cylindrical case in which it was housed and actually examined the bottle closely. The first tip-off that this was going to be bad was the list of artificial color dyes used: "Yellow 45, Blue 40," and the like.

The aroma from the bottle was shockingly minty, with a hint of spice, some undercut anise tones, and no readily detectable wormwood.

I prepared the glass 3:1 (water:absinthe), with one sugar cube and a drip. The louche came abruptly and engulfed the glass all at once, with no real subtlety of any kind. The color turned a bizarre aquamarine. Holding the glass up to the light I did briefly note some interesting tones near the bottom, but nothing too spectacular.

The legs on the glass were thin and quick to dissipate, leaving an odd array of oily spots. Overall it just looked messy. After a bit of breathing time, the smell from the glass was still not very complex; far too simplistic, in my opinion.

And, as expected, the taste was not dissimilar in nature: dull, no traditional wormwood bitterness, just some half-buried anise flavor under a menage of sugary, candy-like mint and clouded spice. After pouring the drink I realized I should not have used sugar, as there is more than enough noxious, artificial sweetener taste in the bottle itself.

I will say, however, that this failed attempt does have a fairly good finish. It's smooth with the right amount of dryness and a nice fade. But that is hardly enough to redeem the tragic shortcomings of the flavor, which prevented me from even being able to finish a single full glass.

My advice is if you're looking to pick up one of the few labels now available in regular US liquor stores, skip this one and go with the Kubler (a blanche) or the Lucid. The latter is not great by any means, but a far better choice than Le Tourment, which will, in fact, torment the drinker, though not in the way they might be hoping.