They are supposed to taste different, while they both have the same herbal aroma, the ratio of ingrediants are unique. With the many Absinthes to choose from, I suggest you not put all your efforts in just two brands, but learn from tasting the inexpensive absinthes and work to the more expensive if you can afford to. You will be able to decide what brands are more suited to your tastes. Another excersize you can do is research what makes absinthe and taste each herb to get an idea of the mouth feel of each. Developing a palette takes time and I'm not there yet.