Koskenkorva Salmiakki - the liqueur that became too popular in Finland

Salty liquorice is a very famous sweet in the Nordic countries, especially in Finland. It is called "salmiakki" in the Finnish language. The name originates from ammonium chloride, one of the main ingredients of the sweet. It tastes salty, even stinging to some extent.

In Finland, people of all ages eat salmiakki in the form of sweets, throat pastilles and desserts – and, of course, drinks. In fact, the Koskenkorva Salmiakki liqueur was so popular that the government’s retail monopoly decided to ban it from the shops, only shortly after it was introduced to the market.

This popular drink was re-introduced to the market in 1995, this time with a lower alcohol percentage. It has been among the best-selling products in the Finnish alcohol monopoly ever since. In 2016, it was the third most sold liqueur in the Finnish retail monopoly Alko.