Mephisto Absinthe Classique - Reviewed by Experts and Consumers at The Wormwood Society
Product Details
Available in USA?
Style/Color
Degrees ABV (% alcohol)
Country of Origin
Distillery
Editor reviews
2 reviews
View most helpful
brings me back to the '90s
Overall rating
2.9
Appearance
3.5
Louche
3.5
Aroma
2.5
Flavor / Mouthfeel
3.0
Finish
2.5
Overall
2.5
This being a modern incarnation, or US labelling, of Montmartre.
I’ve always held a special place in my heart for Montmartre. It’s quirky and unique, and definitely makes you think about what makes an absinthe a real absinthe. Pouring into the glass, it takes on an interesting tinge of green that has bluish hues. The room filling aroma is more of a holiday spice rack than anise. Sage, cinnamon, and mulled fruits are all present. It’s strange, but at the same time, not offputting. It gets you curious. The flavor is strong and herbaceous with a bitter wormwood kick supported by cinnamon smoothed out a bit by the anise. The rear palate picks up some astringency from the choice of coloring herbs. I don’t normally use sugar, but this one would be well served with it if you want to tone down the herbs on the back end. It’s definitely an eccentric oddity in the absinthe world, but one that brings me back to the 1990s, before many of the more delicate brands were introduced.
I’ve always held a special place in my heart for Montmartre. It’s quirky and unique, and definitely makes you think about what makes an absinthe a real absinthe. Pouring into the glass, it takes on an interesting tinge of green that has bluish hues. The room filling aroma is more of a holiday spice rack than anise. Sage, cinnamon, and mulled fruits are all present. It’s strange, but at the same time, not offputting. It gets you curious. The flavor is strong and herbaceous with a bitter wormwood kick supported by cinnamon smoothed out a bit by the anise. The rear palate picks up some astringency from the choice of coloring herbs. I don’t normally use sugar, but this one would be well served with it if you want to tone down the herbs on the back end. It’s definitely an eccentric oddity in the absinthe world, but one that brings me back to the 1990s, before many of the more delicate brands were introduced.
User reviews
1 review
Overall rating
2.7
Appearance
4.0(1)
Louche
2.0(1)
Aroma
3.0(1)
Flavor / Mouthfeel
2.0(1)
Finish
2.0(1)
Overall
3.0(1)
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Is it Montmartre "Lite" or Mata Hari "Extra" ?
Overall rating
2.7
Appearance
4.0
Louche
2.0
Aroma
3.0
Flavor / Mouthfeel
2.0
Finish
2.0
Overall
3.0
From the label: "historical recipe from 1909"
"with grande wormwood, sage, fennel, & various other natural herbs"
COLOR: Pleasing deep peridot, without sediment. Seemingly natural, but such a clean-looking green you have to wonder...
LOUCHE: Lots of immediate oil trails with the addition of water, fading to an anticlimactic translucent blue-green. No real "smoke" effect to speak of.
AROMA: Predominately cinnamon with an underlying spicy-pine scent. A hint of fennel. If anise is in there, I can't seem to find it.
FLAVOR: Lacks complexity. Again mostly cinnamon and faint wormwwood bitterness, with very little detectable anise or fennel.(No sugar used.)
FINISH: Very thin, slightly dry, not very numbing. 65% ABV but still weak-tasting even at a 3:1 ratio. Not much "bite" at all.
OVERALL: In a word, disappointing. I had high hopes for this absinthe, with its label nearly identical to that of Montmartre. Unfortunately, I'd say Mephisto falls somewhere between Monty and Mata Hari within the Fischer repertoire.
"with grande wormwood, sage, fennel, & various other natural herbs"
COLOR: Pleasing deep peridot, without sediment. Seemingly natural, but such a clean-looking green you have to wonder...
LOUCHE: Lots of immediate oil trails with the addition of water, fading to an anticlimactic translucent blue-green. No real "smoke" effect to speak of.
AROMA: Predominately cinnamon with an underlying spicy-pine scent. A hint of fennel. If anise is in there, I can't seem to find it.
FLAVOR: Lacks complexity. Again mostly cinnamon and faint wormwwood bitterness, with very little detectable anise or fennel.(No sugar used.)
FINISH: Very thin, slightly dry, not very numbing. 65% ABV but still weak-tasting even at a 3:1 ratio. Not much "bite" at all.
OVERALL: In a word, disappointing. I had high hopes for this absinthe, with its label nearly identical to that of Montmartre. Unfortunately, I'd say Mephisto falls somewhere between Monty and Mata Hari within the Fischer repertoire.
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