Reviewed by Shinsain 4/22/2006

COLOR BEFORE WATER 3/10
It looks brown, not green or clear. It is thick and cloudy, resembling a pastis more than an absinthe. Poor color, almost like a rotting leaf.

LOUCHE ACTION 5/10
The louche is decent in general but it is much too quick (possibly due to too much anise??). It is very unnatural and a cloudy brown when finished. Mediocre, but nothing special.

COLOR AFTER WATER 4/10
It is "cloudy" but holds a "pastis-like" haze to it. It is neither opalescent nor intriguing. It doesn't have much depth past the cloudiness and is hazed a dead-leaf brown. In my opinion, very poor and un-interesting.

AROMA 10/30
There is almost NO complexity to this. I smell "sweet" and "anise." Nothing more. No fennel, no real wormwood, nothing.

MOUTH-FEEL 6/10
It is relatively full, but I believe this is due to its sugar content and general thickness -- not its quality. It has nothing of a powdery feel to it, and no real depth to its feel. Full, but ordinary.

TASTE 4/20
Of the 15 or so absinthes and pastis I've tasted, this is among the worst. It tastes very, very similar to the US version of Versinthe (that is, very bitter and a little anise and sugar...nothing else). It is one-dimensional and vile, period. I would honestly drink a diluted glass of Hill's above this.

OVERALL IMPRESSION 4/10
I can honestly say that I would drink Hill's or King of Spirits before this. Honestly, with every sip I almost want to wretch. I believe that the maker was guilty of "Ordinaire's Blunder which lends the insatiable bitterness to this drink's finish. I can't find too much good data on it on here or Fee Verte...simply a couple posts saying "stay away." Had I only read those before hand.....

This is a poor absinthe and I would drink almost any pastis and/or absinthe substitute before this. Also, this is hard to admit, but Absente is better.

Shinsain scores Montania des Alpes 36 out of 100