The Bitter Liqueur Favored By Two-Fisted Drinkers that has set the Internet on Fire

AT A GLANCE

• Owned, Distilled and Bottled by: CH Distillery, Chicago, IL

• Spirit Type: Besk liqueur

• Strength: 35% ABV

• Price: $28

Jeppson's Malört is the infamous liqueur that revels in how much people hate its taste. And for half a century Chicagoans have been foisting shots of Malört on unsuspecting visitors as a symbol of their love. But for the last 15 years or so Malört has gained an exuberant fan base around the country. Malört is a bitter Swedish-style liqueur known as bäsk or besk that draws its primary flavor and bitterness from wormwood.

Carl Jeppson who was a Swedish immigrant living in Chicago, created Malört in the 1920s. Jeppson originally sold Malört as a medicinal tonic during prohibition and took its name from the Swedish word for wormwood. But in 1933, after the repeal of the 18th Amendment, Jeppson transformed Malört into the liqueur we know today. While other besks use wormwood and other botanicals to flavor the spirit, Jeppson made Malört with just wormwood, alcohol, and a little bit of sugar which does little to tame its bitterness.

In 2012, Malört, which sold almost exclusively in the Chicagoland, began leaning into its bad reputation online as one of the world’s worst liquors “savored by two-fisted drinker”. The hashtag #MalortFace helped spread the reputation of the spirit as the world took pleasure in watching the reactions of the uninitiated taking shots of the bitter liqueur. And today, Malört content is on almost every social media platform. This combined with enclaves of Chicagoans spread across the country, the popularity of Malört has started to grow and the liqueur is now distributed in about 20 states.

For almost all its existence Malört has been a singular expression that has maintained the same formula since its launch in 1933. However, in 2020, CH Distillery, the new owners of Malört, released a limited barrel aged expression. Barrel Aged Malört has since become an annual release around April Fool’s Day and during the winter holidays CH has started releasing very small quantities of distillery exclusive flavored variants such as Thanksgiving Malört and Pumpkin Spice Malört with all proceeds going to charity.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: The nose is bright with a strong aroma of grapefruit oils from the zest and pith supported by the smell grapefruit flesh, white flowers, and a hefty dose of ethanol.

Palate: On the palate the liqueur is an interesting mix of flavors from all parts of the grapefruit. On the tip of the tongue there is sweetness reminiscent of ruby red grapefruit juice which then transitions to the milder sweetness and increased acidity found in pink grapefruit. As the Malört moves back across the tongue there is a crescendo of the bitterness that reaches a zenith of intense bitterness and a light tingling sensation like biting into a grapefruit rind.

Finish: The finish is very long, bitter and with a slight tingle. Here again grapefruit dominates and grips your tongue for dear life, refusing to let go.

Conclusion: While the flavor of Malört is a bit one dimensional, it is also highly underrated. Calling it the world’s worst liquor is all just hype and don't believe those exaggerated descriptions of burning rubber or dumpster fire. Malört is very intense, and if you are a fan of other bitter liqueurs such as fernet or Campari then you should give it a shot. Malört is in the same ballpark as these other, more well know bitters, just turned up to 11. And while it may be fun to torture your friends with shot, Malört can also be used successfully as a bittering agent in cocktails. It pairs, well with fresh citrus juice, works well in a spritz, and in the right proportions, it can play nicely with gin and other botanical infused spirits.