Can't stomach Malört? Maybe its barrel-aged version is for you.

The maker of Jeppson's Malört – the infamous Chicago liquor known for how difficult it is to get down – is offering a new version that might be a little easier to drink.

Malört is said to taste like gasoline, burnt rubber, and grapefruit. That unique bitterness is mocked, but revered, in countless social media videos.

"It has a sort of rock and roll, sort of hipster kind of thing going on," said Zach Jarosz, the operations manager at CH Distillery, which makes Malört.

The notoriously strong spirit was first produced more than 90 years ago. Its distinct flavor comes from an herb named wormwood.

"I think if you're comparing Malört against fruit punch, right, you know, yes, maybe it's bad, but I think all alcohol would kind of be a little less palatable than sort of a soft drink," Jarosz said.

Recently the distillery released this year's barrel-aged version of the legendary liquor, offering a different take on its signature taste.

"It is a funny premise, right? But I think trying it might surprise you," Jarosz said.

The idea started after the pandemic, because the company had used bourbon barrels laying around.

"What it does to the flavor is kind of what barrel aging does to any spirit. It sort of imparts a sort of vanilla characteristic. You get some of that char, some of those oak tannins are going to come in. It definitely kind of rounds it out a little bit," Jarosz said.

But don't worry, Jarosz said the original Malört will always be available.

"We didn't change the regular Malört, we just kind of introduced a friend for it," he said.