I was completely disappointed with the first batch of Obsello II. The Original Obsello was a personnel favorite of mine. In hopes of an improvement, I gave it another shot. The Caribbean Rum didn't bother me as much as losing the Grape Neutral Spirits. Rum Or Grain in the end it doesn't matter to me as long as there is Craftsmanship going into the Absinthe. The first Release Of Obsello II had to be a work in Progress, because I got hold of a bottle that must be the answer to all of our complaints.

Not using Sugar for this review.

Appearance: Slight Haze of Tourmaline yellow-Green.

Louche: Upon adding ice cold water, Oily-trails develop into smoky trails forming from the bottom of the glass working upwards into a Thick & Creamy Opaque yellow-green.

Aroma: A nice vanilla fennel mint, Melissa and coriander with wormwood in the background.

Flavor/MouthFeel: Anise and fennel are up front and are wrapped around a minty Vanilla light Wormwood, this is from either (or both) the Rum or Spanish Cask that this Absinthe is held in for a few months before bottling.

Finish: The finish of this Absinthe is the best part...a slight numbing minty vanilla resides with anise remaining, this Absinthe gets better with each sip.

Overall: A great improvement over the first Batch of Obsello II. A definite American Absinthe, with the Inclusion of Caribbean Rum, you might say this is the Pirates Absinthe. A Renegade.

I enjoyed the original Obsello quite a bit, and was really looking forward to this new version, especially at its great price. To keep things simple, it just is not up to par with the many decent and correct absinthes available. I found the aroma to be overwhelmed by the rum base, as well as the flavor. It simply is out of balance, and lacks the fundamental requirements to be recognizable as absinthe... At least one that I'm willing to drink. The louche is barely visible, and trust me, I worked at it, with every scenario I could muster up. None of the herbals or floral elements in absinthe that I love were present. Yes, in the background, I could detect them, but the rum base so tragically smothers them, that I could not finish any of the 4 glasses I tried over the 2 months of wanting to find it had mellowed, opened, or evolved in the bottle. I know many in the absinthe world that feel the same way, who have not spoken up in public, as the distiller is a great guy. I felt it was only fair however, to step forward, in support. I'm hoping they will dial down the base several notches, reconsider the rum, by not using it in the future, and bringing the anise and wormwood to the front, where they belong. I also detected a strong pine-like element... It tastes more like cedar perhaps. It comes off to me as a wood, not herbs. Strange. In a nutshell, It simply is too "left field" for me.

I really, really want to like this absinthe more - but the weaknesses in the current offering are too great to ignore. This is one of the first absinthe's I've seen in the U.S. which are below the $50 mark. If I remember correctly... I picked this up for ~$38... and for that price... it is okay. There are other brands which sell for $55 and $60 which I'd rate similarly.

In this case - the rum base is quite overpowering. Upon my first glass - this wasn't as noticeable (I do enjoy a good rum!) Having had a good number of glasses now though - it really does become apparent in a powerful way.

The louche is also quite thin. Taking into consideration that this is a 55 - I've tried it with less water but still find things off. Aroma is rummy... flavor is rummy with absinthe botanicals in the background.

Overall - this would probably be a good introductory absinthe and the price is a major point which should not be overlooked by those just starting their journey :)