1920
Prohibition begins in the United States.
Malört
History
*may include myth and/or legend
Mid-1880s
Carl Jeppson emigrates from Ystad, Sweden, to Chicago’s Swedish neighborhood near Clybourn Ave. and Division St. Carl worked as a cigar maker, and his wife as a Chicago Public Schools teacher.
Mid-1920s
Carl Jeppson produces his Swedish-style bäskbrännvin and sells it as a medicinal product, avoiding regulation due to its notoriously unpleasant taste.
October 1933
The era of the three-star Chicago flag begins.
December 1933
Prohibition ends. Jeppson’s Malört is first produced under its modern name.
Mid 1930s
Bielzoff Products purchases the Jeppson’s Recipe from Carl Jeppson and creates the Malort label and crest.
1935-1945
Before the end of World War II, George Brode, VP of Bielzoff Products, buys the company. Jeppson’s Malört is sold in glass bottles containing a stem of wormwood.
1953
George Brode selects Chicago's Mar-Salle Distillery for production and bottling. He amplifies the Malort brand by embracing its absurdity, using humor and wit to revolutionize Malort’s marketing.
1966
Patricia Gabelick is hired as George Brode’s legal secretary.
1986
Mar-Salle Distillery closes. Malört distillation moves to Florida, and the practice of including a wormwood stem in each bottle is discontinued.
1999
George Brode passes away, leaving the company to Patricia Gabelick.
2011
Sam Mechling begins promoting Jeppson’s Malört through social media with a comedic flair, elevating the brand to a Chicago cultural icon.
2012
Sam Mechling’s unlicensed Malört merchandise leads to a meeting with Patricia Gabelick, who hires him instead of pursuing legal action. Malört sales surge due to grassroots marketing and growing fan enthusiasm.
2013
CH Distillery opens, producing locally sourced, high-quality traditional and specialty spirits.
2018-2019
CH Distillery acquires the Carl Jeppson Company, bringing Malört production back to Chicago.
2020
Malört becomes a nationally recognized brand.
2026
Nearly a century after Prohibition, Malört remains unchanged, unsoftened, and deeply committed to being exactly what it is.
