Kyou should like ümmel. Otherwise it could be difficult to make friends with aquavit. For more than 500 years, the “Aqua Vitae” – water of life – has been distilled in Scandinavia from grain or potatoes and refined with spices. Many farms used to have their own distillery. Today’s industrially manufactured products must be flavored with caraway or dill or both in order to be sold under the name Aquavit. In addition, an alcohol content of at least 37.5 percent is required, high-quality brands have 40 percent or more.
Similar to gin, which is characterized by juniper, the taste of aquavit does not come from the raw material that provides the alcohol, but from added flavoring ingredients such as aniseed, coriander, cinnamon, cloves or citrus peel. The character of the various brands varies greatly depending on the combination of spices, ranging from coarse to fine. The quality also depends on whether the distillate is stored in the cask or not.
Nordic variety: Aquavit can come from Norway or from the island of Rügen. In Scandinavia, it is not only drunk after a meal, but with it.
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Image: Saskia Stoehr
Maturation in old sherry casks
For example, “Maltese Cross” has a rustic taste of caraway, a clear Danish-style schnapps that is usually kept in the freezer and served as an accompaniment to beer. Line Aquavit from Norway is more complex. Its basis is multiply distilled alcohol from potatoes, cumin is supplemented with coriander seeds, aniseed and orange peel. The balanced taste of the spice mixture is framed by aromas that are added during barrel storage. First, the brandy rests in old sherry casks for a year before they travel across the sea in containers on the deck of a cargo ship for four months. Sea conditions and temperature changes create special conditions for ripening. For special bottlings, “Line” is transferred to other used casks for final maturation, which give it notes of port wine, Madeira or rum.
Small distillery on the island of Rügen
An aquavit with a similar style comes from Germany, namely from a small distillery on the Baltic Sea island of Rügen, which calls itself the “1st noble distillery”. The taste of caraway and other spices is well balanced and quite restrained, this product gets its distinctive aroma from a clear note of wood. However, it does not come from barrels, but from French oak chips on which the distillate is stored. This drop is sold in the shop of the distillery in Ummanz and in the online shop.
A new type of aquavit is the “Lysholm No. 52”, specially developed for cocktails. Caraway determines the clear aroma of this spirit, supplemented by aniseed, citrus peel and – unusual for aquavit – ginger. It tastes good with tonic if you put a piece of cucumber in the glass instead of a slice of lime.
And if you don’t like caraway seeds at all, but would like to try aquavit, you can try “Aalborg Jubilee Akvavit” based on a Danish recipe. Its mild taste with a slight spiciness is characterized by dill seeds and coriander seeds. In Scandinavia it is not only enjoyed as a digestive, but also as an accompaniment to food, with fish as well as roast pork. If you want to try it, drink “Jubi” with steamed salmon fillet or smoked salmon with cream cheese. Otherwise it tastes good, best from the fridge, on its own or with a Pilsner that is not too bitter.