Jeppson's Malort 50ML 6Pk

Jeppson's Malört 50ML 6Pk is a six-pack of 50ml bottles of Chicago's infamous wormwood liqueur, bottled at 35% ABV (70 proof). Rooted in the Swedish brännvin tradition, Malört has earned a cult following as one of the most polarizing spirits in the American market — a badge-of-honor sip that drinkers either dread or adore.

Quick Facts: ABV: 35%  |  Origin: Chicago, Illinois, USA  |  Style: Wormwood Liqueur (Besk)  |  Distillery: CH Distillery

Production & Heritage

Jeppson's Malört traces its roots to Carl Jeppson, a Swedish immigrant who sold his bitter wormwood spirit during and after Prohibition in Chicago. Today, the spirit is produced at CH Distillery in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, making it a true city-born product. The base spirit undergoes distillation before an extended maceration with wormwood and a proprietary blend of botanicals. Current stewards Patricia and Sam have maintained the original recipe while eliminating an artificial coloring agent added in the 1970s — the pale yellow hue now comes entirely from the natural ingredients. In an effort to preserve Malört's uncompromising flavor profile, they secured a long-term source for the strongest, most aggressively bitter wormwood available.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with a brush of honey and light citrus before clear wormwood bitterness rises underneath. Earthy, herbaceous notes of dried herbs round out the bouquet, signaling what lies ahead.

Taste: The entry is surprisingly light, leading with distinct grapefruit peel and a flash of grassy brightness. The mid-palate pivots hard toward deep earthy wood, root-driven flavors, and a medicinal spice that tingles across the tongue. There is virtually no sweetness to soften the blow — just raw, unapologetic botanical intensity.

Finish: Long, dry, and unmistakably bitter, with a pithy, lingering quality that sits in the back of the throat. The wormwood reasserts itself on the fade, leaving a clean but lasting impression that can endure for minutes.

How to Drink Malört

The classic Chicago ritual is a straight, room-temperature shot — the 50ml format is purpose-built for exactly that. For those who want to explore Malört beyond the shot glass, it plays well in cocktails that can channel its bitterness constructively. A Malört Spritz (with prosecco and soda water) tempers the intensity with effervescence while keeping the herbal backbone intact. A Chicago Handshake — a shot of Malört paired with an Old Style beer — is the city's unofficial drink order and the most culturally authentic way to experience it. A Bitter Negroni variation (subbing Malört for Campari) creates a drier, more herbaceous take on the classic for drinkers who find a standard Negroni too sweet.

Best For

• Sharing shots with friends as a group dare or bonding experience
• Gifting to a Chicago native or anyone who appreciates cult spirits
• Adding to a home bar's amari and bitters collection as a conversation starter
• Tailgating, parties, or informal gatherings where the 50ml format allows easy portioning

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Malört taste like? Malört delivers sharp, unrelenting wormwood bitterness with underlying notes of grapefruit peel, earthy wood, and dried herbs, finishing long and bone-dry with virtually no sweetness.

How does Malört compare to Fernet-Branca? Both are aggressively bitter spirits, but Fernet-Branca balances its bitterness with menthol, mint, and a subtle sweetness from a complex herbal blend, while Malört strips away any sweetness and focuses almost entirely on raw wormwood intensity. Fernet-Branca is an Italian amaro with a wide spectrum of botanicals, whereas Malört is more of a single-note expression rooted in Swedish brännvin tradition.

Is Malört good for cocktails? Malört works well in cocktails designed to harness extreme bitterness, such as a Bitter Negroni variation, a Malört Spritz, or the iconic Chicago Handshake paired with beer — though it will dominate any drink it enters, so a light hand is wise.

Where is Malört made? Malört is produced at CH Distillery in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, making it one of the few spirits inextricably tied to a single American city.

What foods pair well with Malört? Rich, fatty foods like Chicago deep-dish pizza or bratwurst can stand up to the bitterness. Aged cheeses with sharp, salty profiles work as a counterpoint. Dark chocolate provides a bittersweet complement. Smoked or cured meats like salami or pastrami echo the earthy, herbaceous notes. Pickled vegetables mirror the dry, bracing quality of the spirit.

What sizes does Malört come in? Malört is commonly available in 750ml bottles and in the 50ml six-pack format, which packages six individual 50ml bottles for easy sharing or sampling.

Is Malört worth the price? The 50ml six-pack positions as an accessible entry point for trying one of Chicago's most iconic spirits without committing to a full bottle, and it sits comfortably in the value tier of the liqueur category.

Why Malört?

No other spirit on the American market occupies the space Malört does — a wormwood liqueur produced in the heart of Chicago using the strongest, most deliberately unpalatable wormwood the distillery can source, following a recipe that dates back to a Swedish immigrant's Prohibition-era operation. The decision to remove artificial coloring and let the botanicals speak for themselves reflects a commitment to authenticity over palatability. The 50ml six-pack format transforms the Malört experience from a solitary dare into a shareable one, making it a practical format for groups, parties, and first-timers alike. Love it or endure it, Malört remains one of the most distinctive and culturally significant spirits produced in the United States.