Ettaler Kloster Bitter

Color: Amber. Aroma: Cola nut, coal dust, root extracts (sarsaparilla, licorice), earth. Flavor & Texture: Bitter and earthy with baking spice and root extracts strongly dominant. The bitterness intensifies over time with tannin, cinchona bark, and dandelion being noticeable. It's not sweet at all and the texture is substantial but not thick. Earthy bark-extract flavors linger on the palate. This strongly reminded me of some Italian ferro-china amari I've sampled previously. It's certainly distinctive and would appeal to those who favor bitter digestifs, but these are an acquired taste and this was a bit too intense for me. It might work well in some cocktails to balance sweetness, but I'm not eager to try. This came from a pack of 5 liqueur miniatures purchased from Ettal Benedictine monastery in Bavaria. This isn't typically my kind of drink, but I can recognize it's well-crafted and a good example of a bitter. “Good”: 83/100 (3.5 stars)