*Received as sample in abinthe explore set from absinthes.com

Appearance - Very correct and "pretty" in the glass. It isn't overly complex (not a "sit and stare" absinthe), but is it attractive.

Louche - Beautiful. This was the best louche of our ten samples. Quite simply, it puts on the show we hoped for. The opalescent swirls continued well into the 4:1 point and were spectacular to watch.

Aroma - Wow! That's a LOT of alcohol smell. It isn't even that it smells "stout" like Everclear, but rather something like rubbing alcohol with a strong hint of anise.

Flavor - While very well-balanced between wormwood and anise, the alcohol heat and flavor is distracting. Being from Kentucky, I can draw a clear line between the sting of this absinthe and the lesser quality moonshine that makes the rounds at parties. Not the "good stuff" that has just enough burn to make you feel alive - the harsh stuff that feels curiously like sipping a glass of kerosene.

Finish - Still a bit too much alcohol and goes away rather quickly. It feels more like I just drank a shot of herbal vodka than a really good absinthe.

Overall - While Manson's presence made us both hesitant and curious to try the product, neither of us are huge fans of the band. On its own, Mansinthe is suprisingly enjoyable, although we wouldn't say it is everything we thought "traditional" absinthe would be. If the alcohol were tamed down just a bit, this would be a great offering. It's definitely nothing to sneeze at and we wouldn't dissuade anyone from trying it, but the alcohol is definitely a fault.