Marilyn Manson. Not really a fan of his music. But the absinthe he's sponsored is outstanding. Quite worth your while if you get a chance to sample a bottle...

Appearance: IMO, one of the prettiest, short of Jade, that I've seen-- clear, bright, nicely green while still being all-natural... neither too pale, nor too dark. There are few out there that live up to this.

Louche: Also among the best. Thick, pale green... beautifully translucent. Put a light behind it, you get nice shine-through like sun behind the clouds, while being thick enough to hide the light-source... In my experience, only Jade is better.

Aroma: Good, solid, nice. Not something I'm strong on evaluating, but it seems correct, complex, and intriguing to me.

Flavor/Mouthfeel: Also, really nicely done. As best as I can tell (being not the most experienced absintheur out there), it is entirely correct, well-balanced, and tasty. This one's done right for flavor.

Finish: Really, the only flaw I find. It's still acceptable, but there is too much burn, I can taste the alcohol too much, in the finish. Doesn't ruin the drink, and it's not sub-standard-- other aspects of the finish are still really nice... but it does drop it (IMO) down to an "acceptable" "3" rather than deserving the more exceptional "4".

Overall: it's good stuff. Well-made, solid-- worth respecting as a stand-out. Truthfully, because I drink absinthe more for taste than appearance, I may still prefer to reach for Lucid on ordinary days-- but I acknowledge that in the big scheme of things, this is a higher-quality distilling job.

Again-- if you're not a fan of Marilyn Manson's music, don't let that push you away from this quality absinthe. If you are a fan-- worth appreciating that the man's got good taste in other areas too.

Color
VERY pale green. Probably the palest absinthe I have tried.

Louche
Pretty up to 2:1 then fully clouded. It starts out and looks like it is going to layer well. It has a nice thick oil layer. At 4:1 it is opaque white with a bit of blue on the edges.

4:1 is my preferred ratio for this particular absinthe. Very little sugar is necessary.


Aroma
Very anise forward pre louche. No alcohol burn. The previous reviews indicate a earthy/vegetal note. This bottle has a creamy sweet aroma. I like it.


Flavor

Anise and wormwood. It spreads across the palette well. Nice coolness on the finish. Slightly bitter mid palette. The numbness is nice. It does build with each sip which makes me want to drink it faster.

Finish
The creaminess is still there on the finish. The numbness hits the tip of the tongue and lingers for quite some time.

Overall
Its a nice offering! It is VERY easy to drink. I would use this one to introduce someone to absinthe.

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.