Appearance: Deep sienna brown with amber-gold edges. When swirled, a yellow film briefly coats the glass before forming thick, sparse legs. Aroma: Aged wine, earthy herbal extracts, tobacco, tree sap, and cola syrup. It's an appealing aroma with an herbal, 'alpine' character. Taste and Texture: An initial touch of sweetness upon tasting, with wine-like base notes. This is quickly replaced by increasing bitterness and herbal complexity in the mid-palate. Bitter citrus peel, pine resin, and oak gall emerge towards the dry, herbal finish. The texture is substantial and rich, but the bitterness is prominent. The finish is exceptionally long. This is an intense amaro, not for the easily deterred. It makes Fernet Branca seem mild and boisterous. The bitterness is pronounced and distinct. While there's significant complexity and some sweetness, it's fundamentally a dry, resinous, and challenging amaro based on aged dry Marsala wine. It demands patience, and I wouldn't fault anyone for disliking it. My partner found the smell reminiscent of black cough syrup and said it shouldn't be consumed but used as a disinfectant for scrapes. The key factor seems to be a preference for very dry sherry. If you enjoy that, you might appreciate it. Otherwise, I'd advise avoiding it and opting for milder, sweeter amaros like Montenegro or Averna. I spent about an hour with a glass, gradually getting acquainted with it. I had a second glass, but two was sufficient, and I happily switched to a nice PX sherry to conclude the evening. The experience was interesting but felt like hitting your hand with a hammer – intense, with relief once you stopped. I would never buy another bottle, and for wine-based amaros, I'd prefer Pasubio, made by the same company. It's very difficult to rate this; it's well-made but incredibly challenging to enjoy. "Adequate" rating: 70/100 (2 stars)
Amaro Elisir Novasalus
3.20 Mixed reviews
Liqueur Amaro Trentino-Alto Adige No age statement 16% ABV
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About this bottle
Antica Erboristeria Cappelletti, founded in 1909 in Alto Adige, produces this amaro. The alpine bitter digestivo is prepared over a six-month period using more than 30 botanicals, including burdock, dandelion, aloe vera, gentian, and frangula. Deviating from the norm for amari, Elisir Novasalus employs a wine base (dry Marsala) instead of a neutral spirit, and a touch of sweetness is derived from Sicilian tree sap, classifying it technically as an aromatized wine rather than a liqueur. It is advised to keep it refrigerated after opening.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 5 parsed reviews.
While not the most bitter I've encountered, it's certainly up there. After a few sips to adjust to the bitterness, a great flavor emerges. However, the bitterness persists in my mouth for over an hour.
Reminiscent of Chinese herbal medicine, yet surprisingly bitter. Acts as a palate cleanser.
After letting it adjust, I found I genuinely liked it. Allow it some time!
Tobacco and berries.
Tastes like this
Same style and price bracket, best rated first.
