-Color-
Before Water: A pretty shade of lime yellow-green. I also think of it as “lime peridot”. A little more towards the straw/amber range than the photos I’ve seen online though.

After Water: Good glowy light lime peridot.

-Louche-
Good trails, but a little quick to form a cloud up to the clear top layer (more stratification and showy roiling would have been nice). The line does have good staying power and puts on a little show before it goes away.

-Aroma-
Before Water: Grape and mint with earthy, herby undertones.

After Water: The grape and mint overtones stay at the forefront, then lead right into sweet herbal pontica and a subdued earthiness. Not totally room filling, but does have some range, and I find it quite pleasant.

-Flavor-
A very tasty- if pronounced- grape in front, leading right into strong mint, with anise, vanilla, lemon citrus, pontica, and slight grassy notes developing mid palate. At one point when these meet, the product website’s description of “candied plum” notes is quite accurate. Though flavorful, this is definitely a lighter absinthe than most vertes, and I find myself downing a glass a bit quicker than I usually do.

-Finish-
The mouthfeel is on the thinner side of creamy, but it’s a nice, smooth satin. Brisk mint and wormwood in the finish move things along and keep the sweet flavors from the grape and anise away from cloying territory.

-Overall-
This absinthe definitely has its own personality. It took several days after opening for the mint and dry grassiness to stop dominating and let other flavors to come forth and find a balance (sugar helped a bit during this phase). I’m a sucker for a nice grape base, and I think they did very well there. I agree with folks that refer to this as a light desert or summer absinthe. Some may never like the idiosyncrasies even after breathing, but I’m quite fond of this Spanish treat.

Notes: Louched 3:1, fountain drip. Sugar was used in the first week after opening, afterwards I went with no sugar as usual.

This first tasting of Obsello was prepared with no sugar and ice cold water at a slow drip.

Aroma pre-louche: Uncorking the bottle--after fighting with devil wax for about ten minutes--offers a soft, pleasant aroma that does not scream of one particular ingredient over another. It is rather well balanced, sweet, and at the risk of jumping headlong into a cliche, very much a delicate licorice.

Color: The color on pouring is unremarkable. a faded green, not very pretty. Almost hard to say if green, or yellow is the dominant hue. While there is no sediment, it does appear a bit dull. Not cloudy, but there is no sparkle.

Louche/aroma: There are no oily trails--50% ABV--and the louche develops very quickly. One second its not there, the next second it is. It stays separated for a while, and then seems to collapse on itself. Unspectacular. The aroma is strong, but not not powerful--if that makes sense. It smells wonderful, and is so far the best part of the experience. Very subtle and inviting. I'm afraid it could be easy to over water this absinthe and stopped it at just barely 3-1. It finishes a pale jade.

Flavor: Subtly sweet, with a forward wormwood character. There is an unusual flavor that, while I cannot place, is very tasty. The mouth feel is thin, but the flavor holds up well. Very little anise or fennel, but there is something pairing with the wormwood that provides a distinct flavor. AS un-useful as it might be to compare one absinthe to another in a review, this is not dissimilar to Lucid; only more sophisticated and pleasant. The sweetness is definitely there so sugar might not be necessary.

*EDIT* With sugar, the flavor profile changes towards anise. The wormwood subsides, and fennel is still almost nonexistent. Good, but perhaps better without sugar; too sweet.

Finish: Clean, fresh, sweet. It lingers on the tongue and coats the inside of the mouth with an almost grassy memory. The finish is hardly different than while it sits in the mouth; a very nice characteristic. You never loose sight of the flavor.

Overall: This one seems strange to me. Above all else the taste reins supreme here, as the color both before and after louche are insignificant. A delicate, sweet aroma suggests at a delicate, sweet taste. This is a very good absinthe--worth more than the price. It is the perfect substitution for Lucid as they are not dissimilar. But Obsello is a much more refined product. Perhaps a perfect starter absinthe, and at its insanely low price, worth buying two bottles at once. The wax is a monster and I was terrified I'd get some in the bottle or my glass, but it can be dealt with using a pocket knife. Think sweet grass laced with wormwood!

Color: A cross between olive and yellow, and far too much on the yellow side. Not what I would call an attractive verte color.

Louche: The louche is decent enough. It doesn't build particularly well and starts quickly, but that's pretty standard. It gets thick enough.

Aroma: One person's peculiar can be another's "interesting". I don't like what's going on in there personally. It's spicy and minty with underlying vanilla. The anise plays second fiddle. I find it to be thin and flat in some areas.

Flavor: That vanilla that is underlying in the nose is far more prominent in the palate. I find it overbearing and distracting. There's also a distinct nuttiness that reminds me of almond that I don't care for. The mint is still there and the anise comes forward. The wormwood is easily detectable.

Finish: Since I don't care for the taste I naturally won't be a fan of the finish either, but regardless it is lacking in the duration department and wouldn't score high in this facet even if I did care for it.

Overall: This is a quality offering, just not one I'm a fan of.

This is based on a bottle from DrinkUpNY. The color is not as green as I would typically expect from a verte, especially given the description on their web site. Unlike many of the others, my first experience with the louche was rather disappointing. I did use tap-temperature water, which might account for very few oil trails and none of the cloud forming I am accustomed to. The aroma was good, but it doesn't fill the room the way some other brands do (I may have to update this later, as I have a cold right now). The taste was very pleasant. There is a certain amount of complexity that is intriguing but not distracting. I would say that if you were new to Absinthe, this might be one of the better ones to start with, as it is simpler, but still a little mysterious. The finish leaves a bit of alcohol on the tongue, but not any more than you'd get from vodka or gin. Overall, I like this absinthe and will keep it stocked.

This was my first time trying a Spanish absinthe, and I went into it a bit concerned about the purported "mint" flavor of this drink. In that regard, however, my concerns were misplaced.

The color before water was a nice but unremarkable green, somewhere between peridot and olive. After water, the drink louches to an equally unremarkable yellow jade. The louche itself forms very rapidly, without the thick, rope-like oil trails of other brands, and my sense was the louche developed somewhat too quickly to be entirely proper.

The aroma, flavor, and finish are all good. I found this absinthe heavier on wormwood and with less emphasis on anise than other varieties I've tried. In that regard, it is like Lucid, though overall it's better and does not have Lucid's peppery notes. The finish is also good: a nice, lingering bitterness.

Overall, a good offering and one I'll continue to enjoy.