Bands, festivals and the lot are releasing branded booze by the dozens these days. GRIMM makes it its mission to get to the bottom (of the bottle) of this trend with insightful reviews and extra backgrounds. So sit back, PICK YOUR POISON, and discover all you need to know about your favorite band’s alcoholic brands!
Poison Fact Sheet
- Band: Marilyn Manson
- Poison name: Mansinthe
- Poison style: Absinthe
- ABV: 66,6 %
- Distillery: Oliver Matter (Switzerland)
(ABV = Alcohol By Volume)
In our search for metal booze we were kindly invited by a member of the Grimm community to a tasting of a bottle of Mansinthe at his house. It proved to be a memorable night where we delved into the rich history of the absinthe (sub)culture. We were faced with no small task as we considered that we were attempting to rate and judge a product that took two years two develop. Marilyn Manson personally cooperated with Markus Lion and Oliver Matter, two names that should not be unknown to connoisseurs of this green liquid. From 2005 to 2007 Matter sent several prototypes over to the US from Switzerland before the final version of Mansinthe was released August 25, 2007. In 2008 it won the gold medal in the San Francisco World Spirits Competitions so we knew we were in for a treat!
Tasting
After pouring the appearance of the Mansinthe is very clear, an almost vibrant and translucent green. It gives a very natural look unlike some too intense green absinthes. We decided not to add any sugar to have the most pure taste sensation of the product. We diluted the pure absinthe with a ratio of 1:2 to 1:3 depending on our personal tastes. This resulted in a cloudy milky pastel yellow solution. When held to the light the corona of the absinthe shifted to a bluish hue. Our nose was treated to a soft and herbal anise aroma. After the first sip when the absinthe was at its coolest the initial burn faded away in a soothing and calming, not overly pronounced anise flavor. When the drink had warmed up a bit during our lively discussion of how exquisite this absinthe is, we started noticing the more vegetal and somewhat earthy wormwood taste. An amazing tasting experience and wonderful to notice the evolution of the flavor during the tasting process. Sweet dreams are made of this indeed…
Packaging
Marilyn Manson‘s Mansinthe comes in a stylish bottle with an extra slim neck. It is no secret Manson was closely involved in the process of creating his absinthe, but his most notable contribution is the bottle’s label. It features one of his own paintings entitled ‘When I get old’, a watercolor painting in which actual absinthe is used. In Late Night With David Letterman Manson revealed the drawing depicted him as he imagined himself after drinking absinthe for a few more years. We see a somewhat melancholic elderly man sipping a goblet. The contrasting bordeaux and jade green colors nicely contrast each other and return in the bottle’s labeling. As should be known by know, Marilyn Manson is not afraid of some controversy and follows in the footsteps of other notable artists. In another interview he stated the painting is inspired by William S. Burroughs, a writer and painter who created mostly semi-autobiographical works based on his experiences as an heroin addict. The painting makes this Mansinthe so much more personal and will definitely serve discussion while enjoying its contents.
Interested in acquiring a bottle of Mansinthe? The label refers to this website for all official purchases.
