Rating: 15/23 After how miserably drawn-out my last absinthe tasting was (due to the wormwood's ability to numb, the strong flavors, and the high proof), I decided that I didn't want to buy any more bottles of this stuff (also because it's a mixer in the smallest of quantities) without tasting them first. So I was lucky to get a sample of Pernod! N: Initially, I didn't get much on the nose. Pretty soon though, I got plenty of black licorice with a surprising sweetness to it, a little bit of savoriness, and...that's it? There's surprisingly little presence here for an absinthe. P: This is kind of rich, without having the piercing bitterness of Oregon Spirit. It's a bit savory, a bit sweet, and a lot black licorice. The wormwood is numbing, but I still get a tad of complexity out of this. The proof certainly shows, but I don't get a bunch of ethanol. I do get a hint of terragon though. That all requires really searching though. The key thing here is that the bitter licorice flavor is at least matched by the sweetness, which is a bit jarring. F: The terragon remains for quite a while (along with the numbness, and some black licorice). It's less tasty and interesting than the palate, but it's fine. Compared with Corsair Red (the only absinthe that I have a bottle of), this is less complex, but more balanced, and also richer. The sweetness here is kind of surprising and it really does change the profile of a mixed drink in a way that bitters don't. Still, the sweetness and richness can work well in my opinion. The color is kind of cool and it's natural enough that it doesn't make what it's mixed in look weird like Mephisto does. What gives me pause here is that I wish this had a more assertive profile. It certainly isn't watery, but it doesn't have that bitter punch to it to the same degree that most absinthe does. I struggled last time I was rating absinthes because the complexity neat of the absinthes I tried was inversely related to their qualities as mixers. This time, it's still hard, but for a slightly different reason. Now, each is good as a mixer in different circumstances. Corsair, with its starker flavor, is better for bright cocktails; Pernod, with its sweetness, is better for rich, mellow cocktails. If I wanted to add a new dimension to a cocktail but was afraid that it might lose some fullness and wasn't afraid of a little sugar, Pernod would absolutely be the way to go. If I were mixing with a starker, more pure rye, I would go for something less sweet, like Corsair. This may be my next bottle (in 2149, when I finally run out) or it might be a good additional bottle to have to represent the other end of the absinthe spectrum. I prefer Corsair Red neat and it's better for some cocktails looking for a more interesting profile, but this has (I imagine) an equally large selection of cocktails that it is substantially better for. Since neither is all that pleasant to drink neat. I've gone back and forth on these in cocktails. Once sugar is added (as seems to be called for in most absinthe-based cocktails), the Pernod's sweetness becomes a non-issue. Then it's the fullness of the Pernod versus the complexity and interesting profile of the Corsair. Honestly, I consider given the Pernod a 15 at times, but I then I find a mix that works better with the Corsair. I guess this is just a tie? 14 for both then. I could be convinced that this is either a 13 or a 15, but I think that I'd be more likely to be convinced of a 15. I like the Corsair's interesting funk, but Pernod has a good, standard flavor that works well in most cocktails that include sugar (despite being a bit sweeter than I'd like on its own). OK, I'm going to go with a 15 for the Pernod on the grounds that, despite being mellow, it has a more traditional absinthe flavor, making it more acceptable in most mixed drinks (so long as they require sugar, which they mostly do). Corsair's offering is certainly interesting and a bit fun, but it's also a bit odd, so it's a riskier bet. For a side-by-side comparison, the classic Sazerac (made with Sazerac) is quite good with both absinthes, but the Pernod version is less jarring (though also less complex) and its richness is quite good. If I were serving this cocktail to someone who I wasn't sure was looking for something interesting, I'd go with the Pernod. Considering that cocktails with absinthe pretty often to include sugar (or some other sweet ingredient) and that Pernod holds up well in those circumstances, I'll give Pernod a 15.