Color: Nice green color. Not much depth but amazing clarity.

Louche: Pretty louche and quick to cloud. By full finish it is a bit thin and retains some original coloration.

Aroma: Sweet crisp and fresh. Anise with some peppery smell and I can swear I smell chocolate lurking there in the background.

Flavor: Very green taste. Crisp and light with fennel out more than anise. Wormwood and some earthy tastes hidden a bit. Again I could swear there is a bit of chocolate in it. The overall flavor is a tad weak even at a lower ratio.

Finish: Something chalky is noticeable and unusual. There is a sweet rush that fades quickly to a slight bitterness that numbs a bit. Chalky funk lingers longer than anything else though.

Overall: Not bad but not astounding. It's a traditional flavor with a bit of surprise here and there. Good absinthe for beginners or those wishing to start branching out from the one or two they've already had.

Color: Pale but very bright emerald green. Natural and clear.

Louche: Beautiful trails, nice billowing clouds. Good separation line at the top. More thin than thick but not too much. Various shades of green and shots of blue throughout. Color after water is a nice pale natural green color, lots of nuance and depth.

Aroma: Bit of alcohol at first. Very light and perfumy but fills up the room when water is added. Aroma is mostly anise with an earthy element. Very appealing.

Flavor: While the flowery sweet perfume that came out in the aroma remains, tasting this absinthe brings out a much more complex flavour. It is spicier and softly bitter with more mentholated bitterness coming out. Balanced and complex. It’s floral, perfumy, spicy and mildly bitter. I wouldn’t want to change anything.

Finish: Mouthfeel could be a bit thicker. Slight tongue-numbing and a lingering bitterness that is not at all unpleasant. The sweet flowery notes disappear a bit in the finish while more bitterness comes out. This leads to spicy earthy tones. Lingers well.

Overall: I have to say that Mansinthe is an excellent commercial offering from the Matter distillery. Marilyn Manson obviously knows his absinthe and I am not surprised. There’s not much I would want to change about this absinthe. Excellent colour for a naturally coloured absinthe. If you’re not a fan of Mr. Manson do not let that keep you from buying this. I think a lot of people do not take him seriously based on his appearance but he is a serious artist and a very talented person. That also goes for Oliver Matter.

Sampled at 3.5:1 review modified after a couple more tastings, I like it more and more.

Color: I thought the color was quite attractive. More of a light leaf green than peridot, but it was clear and attractive. I didn't think it looked un-natural at all as others have...plenty of herbals can color in this manner.

Louche: Trails ended quickly as a cloud developed quickly and all at once rather than my preferred bottom up more dramatic way. Still, the color was quite nice when the louch was complete.

Aroma: Mainly Anise with a touch of wormwood. A bit of alcohol. After the louche, it opened up a bit, but not the diverse herbal and floral elements I look for.

Flavor: Quite tasty. The wormwood is much more present here than in the aroma. The in your face but tasty anise is big and borders on "Good N' Plenty", but I don't mind that. A great balance between sweet and bitter. A hint of mint, and light pepper. Not quite as creamy as I'd like unless at a lower dilution, where I felt more heat.

Finish: The finish works well with the flavor, anise fades to fennel with a mild bitter numbing that is pleasant, ending in the mildest powdery feel. Nothing extraordinary, but ties the drink together and makes you want more. Nice gentle linger.


A very decent absinthe, which is not a surprise as it comes from the Matter Distillery.

Coming in a nicely sized 700ml bottle labelled with a tasteful watercolour by Marilyn Manson, the aroma of the neat liquid is predominantly anise and alcohol. The colour is pale, thin and slightly bright in an unnatural way. I prefer the deeper emerald of Duplais Verte, but this colour obviously attracts the eye of the newcomer.

The louche doesn't quite have the same gentle transition of the other bottlings from Matter-Luginbühl, but a slow drip shows enough swirling of the fairy in the early stages, bringing out a pleasing anise aroma and a decent milky green end product.

This was the first verte absinthe I tried and it's been about six months since then. I've had plenty of other brands and bottlings including pre-ban absinthe in this time, but there's still something magical about Mansinthe's combination of wormwood and anise. The supporting herbs don't seem to have much presence, making the flavour a tad on the simple side, but this simplicity is extremely appealing.

Minty wormwood lingers on the tongue with the anise, with only a slight numbing. Watered at a ratio of around 3:1 to 4:1, Mansinthe presents a creamy and very pleasant experience. At the price, it's a great everyday verte and if you can get past the somewhat gimmicky association with Marilyn Manson, this is a quality drop.

Mansinthe has been my personal favorite in the verte category. The color looks slightly artificial, but is still pleasant on the eye. The louche seems almost orchestrated. The aroma is probably where Mansinthe is the weakest. The smell of alcohol is far too dominant, which is strange because I find it very well balanced within the flavor and almost no lingering effect in the finish. While Alcohol is definitely detectable, the flavor still maintains a dominate anise start, a little sting in the middle, and a solid wormwood finish that isn't overpowering, but prevents you from forgetting it's there. This is one of the sweeter brands, which is why I liked it; but not so sweet as to coat the tongue. This is one I plan to keep stocked.