Kübler Absinthe

I purchased a bottle of Kübler absinthe the other night, figuring it was a good place to start as they were practically responsible for breaking down the prohibition in America. This absinthe has long been praised for its efforts in keeping with original (pre-prohibition) recipes, and continues to be championed by absinthe traditionalists. There are two kinds of absinthe drinkers, those who relish in being part of the drink’s history, and those in search for the unusual kind of buzz absinthe has long been rumoured to deliver; this absinthe definitely suits the former demographic. At $55 a bottle, Kübler is the most affordable of the legal absinthes, domestic or imported. Although the price may sound steep, buying the same bottle through most European retailers will cost between $25 to $35 just to ship into the US (due to the high cost of shipping liquids). With five years of semi-regular absinthe consumption under my belt and absolutely no preconceptions, I took my finely tuned palate to this little demon.

Color: Absolutely clear, but louches to a very milky white. Very impressive actually.

Nose: A hodge-podge of herbs, mainly anise, in the midst of a heavily alcoholic essence.

Taste: Top notes of melissa with a heavy anise kick upfront, mid notes of hyssop, bottom notes of alcohol and herbal numbness. A strange creamy texture, much like skim milk or a rich horchata.

Thujone: They can't really label the thujone content (being that it's not an easy thing to measure precisely) In any case, it's 10mg/liter or less, as that's the legal limit in the US.

Alcohol: 53% - 106 Proof

Overall: 7.5/10 Maybe I'm spoiled from drinking some of the better European varieties, packing an average of 35-45 mg/liter of thujone, but this thing had absolutely no kick for me. The law of diminishing returns definitely applies to the thujone/alcohol scale. The more one drinks, the more thujone one gets, but also the more intoxicated one becomes, and once the alcohol overpowers the thujone, then nothing else really matters. You're just going to bed at that point. I must say, this is one of the most traditional absinthes on the market, either domestically available or European. If that’s your kick, then definitely give this a try. But if you’re after the Green Fairy, save your money for something a little more powerful and perhaps a bit less legal.