In an interview with Beverage Master, head alchemist Alan Bishop of Spirits of French Lick, a craft distillery located in West Baden Springs, Indiana, said, “Aquavit (taken from the Latin aqua vitae, which means “water of life”) can trace its roots under various names back to the Aquavitae Treatises of the 1400s to 1600s. It has deep connections to Sparagyic medicine,” he explains, “so three of my major interests were piqued: alchemy, history and complex botanical distillations.”
As the national spirit of Sweden, Norway and Denmark, aquavit (also known as aquavite, akvavit, akevitt or snaps) embodies an integral part of Scandinavian culture. Nordic households will often have a bottle of this spirit in the freezer ready for the holidays. Depending on the brand of in question, this clear spirit, distilled from either grains or potatoes, will contain notes of caraway, dill or both.
Traditionally, Scandinavians shout “skol” (or “skål”) while maintaining eye contact as they down a shot of aquavit. According to legend, this custom derived from the Viking practice of maintaining eye contact for potential threats even when celebrating. As a testament to the communal nature of this spirit, the Spiritsmuseum: Museum of Wine & Spirits in Stockholm, Sweden, lists over 200 drinking songs dedicated to the spirit, with new songs added annually.
Aquavit ranges from 40 to 46% ABV. While most distillers use a base consisting of clear grain-neutral spirits, the Norwegian variety is often distilled with potatoes as the base and then aged in barrels. Along those lines, varieties labeled “Taffel Aquavit” are either unaged or aged in spent casks that impart nearly no character.
Although the spirit has traditionally been produced in Scandinavian countries, some U.S. distillers are now giving this iconic spirit a distinctly American makeover.
The Birth of U.S. Aquavit
Aalborg (Denmark), Linie (Norway) and O.P. Anderson (Sweden) are the most popular imported aquavit brands in the U.S. But when distribution issues prevented the United States from importing these spirits in 2006, Christian Krogstad, founder of House Spirits and Westward Whiskey in Portland, Oregon, took matters into his own hands. He distilled an aquavit made with a neutral corn spirit with a caraway-forward focus.
Initially, he kept his aquavit at the distillery solely for marketing purposes. Soon enough, cool kid bartenders sampled his spirit and wanted to use it as a substitute for gin or vodka in drinks like Bloody Marys, Mai Tais, Negronis, and Tom Collins. So, Krogstad began selling Krogstad Aquavit the following year and has now added Krogstad Gamle Aquavit (which is barrel-aged in French oak Pinot Noir barrels) to his lineup.
Since then, a smattering of distilleries in the Pacific Northwest and other regions of the United States with Scandinavian populations have begun distilling their own versions of aquavit. Luckily, the Alcohol and Tobacco Trade Bureau (TTB)’s loose definition of aquavit as “a caraway and/or dill-flavored distilled spirits product” allows for considerable experimentation among distillers.
Check out these U.S.-based aquavit producers if you want to get a taste of the American take on this spirit.
Adrift Distillers (Long Beach, WA) produces a Danish style that begins with a neutral wheat base with strong notes of dill and caraway along with touches of anise, coriander, spruce tips, juniper and orange peel.
Aimsir Distilling Company’s (Portland, OR) Vaettir Aquavit (2023 Silver Medal, American Distilling Institute) features a smooth and herbaceous body with star anise, caraway, fennel, citrus and a hint of lavender.
Blackfish Spirits Distillery (Auburn, WA) produces a caraway-forward aquavit that has a pleasant black licorice flavor from the anise.
Bull Run Distillery (Portland, OR) makes their Regnig Dag (“rainy day” in Swedish) aquavit by infusing their Medoyeff Vodka with star anise, caraway and coriander, then aging it in former whiskey or wine barrels.
The Hardware Distilling Co. (Hoodsport, WA) utilizes pear vodka as the base spirit for their aquavits. Among their four aquavits, their cardamom aquavit is the most popular.
Long Road Distillers (Grand Rapids, MI) uses red winter wheat for their base spirit, with botanicals including fresh dill, dill seed, caraway seeds, fennel, curcumin, star anise and cinnamon. They also make an Old Aquavit, which is barrel-aged in used whiskey barrels.
Nightside Distillery’s (Edgewood, WA) aquavit starts with a base spirit consisting of apples and cane sugar. After adding botanicals, they age the aquavit in used Nightside Bourbon barrels for several months.
Norden Aquavit’s (Chelsea, MI) Original Taffel Style contains both dill and caraway, as well as coriander, clementine, orris, angelica, juniper, clary sage, staghorn sumac and anise. They also produce an American Oak Reserve version that has been aged for a minimum of 12 months in previously used rye casks.
Scratch Distillery (Edmonds, WA) produces several versions of aquavit, which they age in neutral American oak barrels that were originally used to age one of their other spirits.
Spirits of French Lick’s (West Baden Springs, IN) aquavit features coriander and caraway are at the forefront, along with some floral and citrus elements and a small amount of juniper. Their base distillate consists of a blend of both neutral and 100 percent oat whiskey spirits.
Tattersall Distilling’s (Minneapolis, MN) aquavit is caraway- and rye-forward with a base of organic, corn-based spirits and is aged in rye whiskey barrels.
Temple Distilling Company’s (Lynnwood, WA) aquavit Stjärna (“star” in Swedish) boasts star anise as the main flavor component in addition to orange peel, caraway seed and grains of paradise.
Vikre Distillery’s (Duluth, MN) aquavit starts with organic Minnesota corn combined with direct and vapor infusions with 12 organic botanicals that include caraway. The aquavit is then aged in used Cognac casks.
Aquavit hunters may also be able to find the spirit at various drinks-focused events. In 2012, Jacob Grier, co-author of Raising the Bar, launched Aquavit Week at Metrovino in Portland. It has grown into an annual tradition featuring a range of citywide events. Aquavit enthusiasts can also find select Scandinavian festivals across the United States that include aquavit in their Nordic offerings.