🥃 Gammel Dansk

Gammel Dansk, in full Bitter Dram, is a Danish bitter made with 29 herbs, spices and flowers. Its strength is 38% ABV. The recipe for the Roskilde distillery was developed in 1964, and today the brand belongs to the Norwegian group Arcus-Gruppen. In Danish the name means "old Danish".

History. According to the brand's website, J. K. Asmund, the manager of the Danske Spritfabrikker plant in Roskilde, created the drink because sales of the previously popular bitter were falling. The final recipe was approved about three years after the first idea, which is why sources give 1964 as the start of development, while Difford's Guide gives that year as the launch year. Danes drink it at celebrations, with morning coffee and with breakfast. It was created as a competitor to other bitters on the Danish market.

How it is made. According to the brand's website, the ingredients include angelica root, nutmeg, aniseed, ginger and rowan berries. The plants are macerated in 96% spirit for three months, then water is added and the strength drops to 38%. The full recipe is not disclosed. Difford's Guide, like the brand's website, names 29 components, although some retail descriptions say 28.

Owners and production. Danske Spritfabrikker, the producer of Gammel Dansk, belongs to Arcus-Gruppen. In 2015, according to The Local, the company closed production in Aalborg and moved it to Norway, to Oslo; the brand name stayed the same. Difford's Guide lists a different producing company in its reference entry, so reference data may be out of date.

Why this matters to you. This is a bitter, not a creamy or fruit liqueur: according to Difford's Guide, the taste is aggressively bitter and dry. EU law sets only a minimum of 15% ABV for bitters, so look at the strength on the label. "Herbal" does not mean "healthy". There is also a sweeter Halvbitter, 30% ABV. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.