Rating: 14/23 N: It smells bitter. Like amaro, but on the fruity side. It definitely has that bitter mintiness that makes me think of Fernet Branca though. It's kind of that plus some sort of tart but sweet and full red fruit and citrus. I felt like it was more complex when I first tasted it, but I guess that's all I've managed to pick out here. From a distance, the complex herbaceousness of Fernet Branca wafts out, but honestly, I can't quite put my finger on the particular notes. P: Viscous with a sugary note up front, but immediately the intense bitterness asserts itself with a lot of mint and some other herbal characteristics. Some fruit comes trough to try to explain the sweetness, but it doesn't entirely succeed. I definitely get grapefruit zest, but I also get some less pronounced red fruit flavor (probably cherry). It isn't bad, but it is very opinionated and isn't terribly complex (though it certainly isn't entirely just bitter and fruit). It does make me think of Fernet Branca with some fruit and sugar added, to be sure. The menthol character of the mint is far reduced here and the strong bitterness is played up though. I think that this palate has more going on and I enjoy it more, but I can't say for sure that I think it is more balanced. I appreciate that there isn't alcohol showing through here, but I guess with all of the flavor here, that would be pretty hard to have happen. I think I might be tasting the red dye though and that's pretty hard to look past. It's sort of a bitter, oily, lightly chemical and meaty flavor if that makes any sense? F: That bitterness sure lingers and it even starts developing a faint skunkiness. The fruit stays to some extent, but the bitterness is most dominant and the sugar recedes until it tastes more plausibly like a part of the fruit flavor. It's an acceptable finish, though I do still get some red dye flavor. Overall, I guess this serves a purpose. It isn't something I enjoy on its own and it is also kind of challenging in a drink, but I certainly don't hate it and I definitely could drink it on its own (though I wouldn't love to do that). This has that classic amaro bitterness that is the pillar supporting Fernet Branca, but it adds in some fruit. I just don't think it does an excellent job at that. While Campari is more complex on the nose, Fernet Branca is more complex on the palate and has a nice subtlety as well, so I can kind of see myself drinking Fernet Branca neat (in small amounts). Campari just kind of has a couple of flavors that it shouts: bitter and fruit. That's sort of good for mixing, but really what I want is to have two separate liqueurs so that I can control the ratio of fruit to bitterness. That's kind of what rosso vermouth does when paired with this, but it's sure an awkward and indirect approach. I'd be interested to see what could be accomplished by mixing Fernet Branca and Luxardo instead. It's at least a 12 for sure. I appreciate all of the flavor here and I guess that it does have its place. A 16 seems like the limit for this one given its strong bitterness and lack of complexity, but that's really pushing it. This does at least consistently seem like it is satisfying its basic duty as an amaro though. The problem I've really come up against here is that this is neither a liqueur like Chartreuse Green that is subtle and enjoyable right out of the bottle nor a one-note liqueur like Cointreau that adds just a nice little enhancement to many cocktails. There are just a few cocktails that use this and while I do enjoy a good boulevardier, I always find myself wishing that I could tweak the Campari flavor. I almost decided to go with a 13 and then I almost decided to go with a 15 I ultimately landed on a 14 because of its the tension between its red dye flavor and its deserved place in a small number of cocktails, most notably the boulevardier. It seems far from perfect or irreplaceable, but it works. This is certainly a challenging liqueur.