While this ranks very well in color and louche, the aroma is nothing special and the flavor too bitter. Even with a sugar cube, I find this challenging to enjoy. The anise flavor is much more subtle and too many other flavors seem to complete for dominance, all of which are bitter. Even the finish leaves a little bit of the bitterness behind. When taste-tested among other brands, I have found the negative aspects of this brand to be more subtle (less offensive). That said, this is not a bad drink; but I don't think its one I would keep in the regular stock.