OHD AKEVITT

Our barrel aged akevitt is a modern take on aquavit based on old traditions. We used historical Norwegian medicinal plants to makes this round and complex aquavit.  Flowers from the meadow and wild, minty herbs are perfectly complimented by ageing in bourbon barrels.

A take on aquavit so traditional that it’s modern.

For almost 500 years we have been making aquavit or akevitt, as it written in Norwegian. The name comes from the Latin aqua vita, the water of life. Originally this was thought of as a medicine. So, when we wanted to do a modern take on how akevitt was made hundreds of years ago we started with the traditional medicinal plants of the north.

A few things set the Norwegian akevitt apart from the once traditionally being made in the other Scandinavian countries. One thing is that it must be made with Norwegian potato spirit. More importantly is the fact that we traditionally barrel aged the akevitt in Norway. For the last 100 years it has mostly been done in cask formerly used for fortified wine. But when you make a lighter style with complex and subtle flavours from wildflowers and herbs that type of cask will not work very well. Bourbon barrels on the other hand greatly compliment the minty and floral aromas of the akevitt. We let the akevitt rest in the barrel for a minimum of 18 months.

And it would not be a true Norwegian aquavit without caraway A plant commonly used in Norway for it’s medicinal purposes. It has been said that it especially good to help with digestion. 

This makes a lot of sense when you think about the fact that akevitt is common to drink with food in Scandinavia. When our goal was nothing less than to make the best aquavit in the world we had to get the best caraway in the world. After tasting a lot different variants of the small brown seeds, we ended up with the one that grows in the middle of Norway in a place called Inderøy. The long summer days and cold nights gives it a complexity and richness we could not get from anywhere else.

When we distil, we do it like you would do for a London Dry gin. All botanicals in one distillation. To preserve the optimal flavour profile of the different botanical we combined two techniques. The botanicals with a deeper and earthier flavour profile like caraway are put in the pot, while the lighter  and more subtle plants like the flowers are vapor infused. We are firm believers in letting the spirit stand on its own in the final product. We therefore do not add any additional flavouring, colouring, sugar, or chill filtration to our OHD Akevitt.

Not all aquavits are created like Akevitt.

Vekstene vi bruker i OHD Akevitt

Caraway - Has a warm aroma with hints of pepper, orange and lemon peel, carrot, and fennel.

Meadowsweet - A wide range of aromas ranging from honey and hay to almonds and vanilla. Contributes a slight bitterness to the taste.

Heather - This gives floral aromas, with some slightly earthy tones and honey.

Angelica - Contributes structure to the distillate. The plant can be called the distiller's salt as it is an important flavour enhancer for the other plants in the aquavit.

Yarrow - Bittersweet with aromas of sage and licorice.

Chamomile flower - Recognized by a strong, sweet floral scent and a hint of tobacco.

Wormwood - Gives notes of warm herbs and mint bitterness. Appears floral and perfumed. 

St. John's wort - Has a scent reminiscent of the leaves of the raspberry bush. The taste is sweet, earthy, and reminiscent of umami.

Dandelion root - Sweet earthiness and medicinal with a hint of chocolate.

Sorrel - Gives a menthol-like feel with a hint of pepper.

Hyssop - Aromas of camphor, oregano, rosemary and sage.

Horehound - Mint and rich herbal notes such as licorice.

Chervil - Gives a taste that is a mixture of tarragon and parsley and with hints of mint.

TASTING NOTE

Nose - Complex fragrances of spices with hints of caraway, citrus, flowers and green herbs such as mint. Classic bourbon barrel character with warm oak, vanilla and coconut.

Pallet - Rich spice tones. Appears fresh with hints of mint and citrus. Long aftertaste with hints of caramel and spearmint.