Tabu 55 Absinthe Review:

Photo courtesy of www.1a-absinthe.com

-Country of Origin: Germany

-55% alcohol

-.7 litre
 

Ah, Tabu, old friend. You were one of my first, and bring back memories, although not necessarily good ones. I was never expecting a bed of roses just from what I remember from past tasting, but was at least hoping for dandelions. Unfortunately, even the dandelions have wilted...

The big-headed galoot on the label gave me a good chuckle...and that's pretty much the high point here. You don't need to check the ingredients to know the colour is artificial. It smells very minty and candy-like, along with something else I couldn't detect, but that also seemed very sweet. For a 55, it smells extremely alcoholic. A quick louche forms thanks to the star anise, but at least it was a cloudy, smooth transition. Post-louche it still looks toxic. So then, the tasting at 3:1: my first thought was "liquid Necco wafers" because the mint was so strong and sugary (or maybe King brand Dutch mints). The wormwood comes through more than when tasted neat, but it is still very subdued. Anise is barely noticeable, but numbs the toungue just enough to let you know it's here somewhere in this mess. Again, the sugar is just too much. Adding any additional sugar will do nothing but produce a slimy texture. But even as it is, it's like I'm drinking flat soda. It become diluted fairly quickly, at which point it quite literally tastes like sugar water; the other flavours just seem to completely evaporate once the you reach the 4:1 line.

Bottom line: It wasn't bad enough that I spit it out, but enough that it does not deserve your time or money. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to buy a real pack of necco wafers...

Presentation: 4

Louche: 5.5

Taste: 3.5

Value: 6

Overall: 3.5

posted 10/06/2007