Jeppson's Malört
Jeppson's · CH Distillery
Malört is not a spirit you recommend lightly — it's a rite of passage, a loyalty test, and a cultural artifact of Chicago's bar scene rolled into one defiant bottle. It does exactly one thing and does it with absolute conviction: deliver the most aggressively bitter drinking experience commercially available. Whether that's a feature or a bug depends entirely on who you are, but there's no denying its singular identity in the spirits world.
Nose
Intensely herbal and medicinal, with grapefruit pith, dandelion greens, and a sharp, almost antiseptic wormwood note that commands your full attention. Behind the bitterness sits a faint whiff of dried chamomile and something vaguely floral, though you have to work to find it. There's no hiding from the botanicals here — this nose is uncompromising.
Palate
The first sip is a confrontation. An overwhelming wave of bitter wormwood floods the palate, followed by grapefruit rind, burnt herbs, and a curious, lingering soapy quality. There's a faint sweetness mid-palate that barely registers before the bitterness reasserts itself with authority. The mouthfeel is oily and coating, ensuring the experience stays with you.
Finish
Extremely long, profoundly bitter, and herbaceous. The aftertaste has been described — accurately — as resembling pencil shavings and regret, though devotees would call it persistence and character.
Cocktail Suggestion
The Chicago Handshake — Pour 1.5 oz Jeppson's Malört into a shot glass. Serve alongside an ice-cold Old Style lager. Shoot the Malört, chase with the beer. No garnish, no apologies.
Food Pairing
Rich, fatty foods like Chicago-style deep dish pizza or a char-grilled Italian beef sandwich — the bitterness cuts through heaviness like nothing else can.
Originally produced by Swedish immigrant Carl Jeppson during Prohibition-era Chicago as a medicinal tonic, Malört survived decades of near-obscurity before becoming the city's most infamous — and beloved — local spirit, now distilled by CH Distillery on the city's West Side.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin
Whitley Neill
Whitley Neill's Blood Orange expression works because it respects the gin beneath the flavoring. The blood orange is vivid without being syrupy, and the juniper-forward base keeps it honest. It's a gin that makes a spectacular spritz but doesn't embarrass itself neat — a rare feat in the flavored gin category.
Rhum Clément Cuvée Homère Rhum Agricole Vieux
Rhum Clément
Cuvée Homère is Clément's tribute to founder Homère Clément, and it showcases what extended aging does to quality rhum agricole. The cane character remains at the foundation, but the oak and oxidative aging add layers that rival fine cognac in complexity. This is a sipping rum that demands — and rewards — your full attention.
G.D. Vajra Barolo Albe DOCG 2019
G.D. Vajra
Vajra's Albe bottling is the entry point to the estate's Barolo range, sourced from younger vines across multiple village plots. It delivers textbook Nebbiolo character — roses, tar, cherry — at a price that makes it one of the best introductions to Barolo available. Give it a thirty-minute decant and watch it bloom.
Domaine Weinbach Riesling Réserve Personnelle 2023
Domaine Weinbach
The Réserve Personnelle is Weinbach's calling card — a wine that captures the Clos des Capucins terroir with clarity and restraint. The 2023 vintage delivers the crystalline precision that makes Alsatian Riesling one of the world's great white wine styles. Hand-harvested, hand-sorted, and vinified with minimal intervention, it's a pure expression of place and practice.
Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin
Whitley Neill
Whitley Neill's Blood Orange expression works because it respects the gin beneath the flavoring. The blood orange is vivid without being syrupy, and the juniper-forward base keeps it honest. It's a gin that makes a spectacular spritz but doesn't embarrass itself neat — a rare feat in the flavored gin category.
Gin Lane 1751 Royal Strength London Dry Gin
Gin Lane 1751
Gin Lane 1751 doesn't reinvent anything — it perfects the template. Master distiller Charles Maxwell, with over four decades at Thames Distillers, has produced a gin that proves London Dry's enduring relevance. The elevated proof ensures it punches through tonic and holds its shape in a Martini. Honest, rigorous work.
Kirkjuvagr Orkney Gin
Kirkjuvagr
An assertive, terroir-driven Orkney gin that wears its harsh North Atlantic origins proudly — beautifully balanced between traditional juniper backbone and the foraged botanicals of a windswept archipelago.
Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin
Bombay Sapphire
Bombay Sapphire's vapor-infusion method produces a gin that's lighter and more aromatic than many London Drys, letting its ten botanicals speak individually rather than blurring together. At 47% ABV, it carries enough weight for cocktails while remaining supremely sippable over ice. A benchmark for a reason.