At the end of the 18th century, Emperor Joseph II of Hungary suffered from a troublesome stomach ache, for which the emperor’s court physician, Dr. Zwack, developed a remedy. After tasting the medicine, the emperor declared: “das ist ein Unikum!” (“This is unique”). New liqueur was born, which was named Unicum. The recipe for Unicum has been preserved in the Zwack family since the time of Joseph II. During the bombings of World War II, the Zwack factory was damaged and production was interrupted. The Zwack family fled the country, except for one member of the family, who remained in Hungary and developed a similar recipe for the needs of the communist regime. After the fall of communism, the Zwack family returned to the country and restarted production.
Today, 3.5 million liters of Unicum are sold in Hungary annually. 40 different herbs are used in Unicum and it is still produced according to the original process, which is over 200 years old. Some of the ingredients are macerated for 30 days, some of the ingredients are distilled. The distillates are mixed in oak barrels, where the final product is aged for six months. Zwack is also a major importer of alcohol in Hungary and is listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange. A 20 cl bottle cost €5.90.
The elixir is tarry dark in the glass, but not very thick. The aroma is very aromatic. Herbal and spicy, sweet and reminds an old-fashioned cough medicine. The taste is sweet at first and quite soft, until the bitterness comes out and quickly captures all the attention. The aftertaste is very bitter, dry and even a little bit stinging in the mouth and tongue. There is quite a lot of herbaceousness and spiciness, but the palette is so well mixed that no single aroma stands out. The aftertaste has a clove-like pungent spiciness. The taste is bitter enough so it’s not any party drink to empty a full bottle just for fun. But I could easily imagine having a glass as a digestif after overeating or with an upset stomach. Clearly more bitter than Underberg, but not on the level of Riga Black Balsam or Fernet Branca. If Jägermeister is starting to feel too bland, take a bottle of Unicum Zwack for a test.
88/100
