What is aquavit?
Aquavit is a strong spirit originating in the Nordic countries, at least 37.5% in the alcohol strength department, with a dominant taste of caraway, dill, or both. Whether you’ve heard of it, tasted it or had twelve shots of it last night, it is – in our humble opinion – an undervalued classic.
In the cool North of Europe, a proud aquavit bottle is the maypole around which celebrations swing. Aquavit is also something of a symbol for Scandinavian cuisine. Depending on which of the Nordic countries it comes from, almost all of the home-cooked meals in that region are aligned in sisterly fashion with that country’s particular style and character of aquavit.
From the 15th century, we’ve been steeping herbs and spices into our hard booze. Many options have been tried, many delicious combinations and innovations have been discovered, many toasts have been proposed. The seasoning of aquavit has developed into a fine art through respect for the raw material, scientific manufacturing, more meticulous seasoning and some creativity.
Swedish aquavits
If you are a newcomer to the world of aquavits, Swedish aquavits are a perfect option for first try. The Swedish aquavit style is based strongly on caraway but the spice distillates are usually matured in ordered to create a more soft and a more round taste. O.P. Anderson is the classic.
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O.P. Anderson Klar Aquavit 40% 70 clA fresh and spicy aquavit, seasoned to fit particularly well with fish and sellfish.15.99€22,84€ / l
Danish aquavits
The Danish version of aquavit might seem a little rough for the beginner. They are in general very spicy as the spice distillates nor the liquid are matured.
The Danes are also fond of making spicing their own snaps with whatever ingredients they might find in the garden. Aquavits that have "klar" (clear) in their name, are suitable for this. They make a neutral base for different spices.
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Aalborg Taffel Akvavit 45% 70 clDenmark’s best-selling aquavit with a distinct tone of caraway.16.99€24,27€ / l
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Aalborg Dild Akvavit 38% 70 clFresh dill-flavored aquavit - perfect companion for seafood!16.99€24,27€ / l
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Aalborg Jubileums Akvavit 40% 70 clGolden and smooth aquavit that goes well with many dishes.16.99€24,27€ / l
Norwegian aquavit
In Norway, aquavits are cask matured at least 6 months which bring a distinctive taste of cask maturation to it. The standard cask used in Norway is a sherry cask. The main spice is caraway.
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Linie Aquavit Original Miniature 41,5% 5 clSmooth and well-balanced Norwegian cask matured aquavit in a mini bottle.2.49€ Buy more & save 1.99€49,80€ / l
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Linie Aquavit Original 41,5% 70 clSmooth and well-balanced Norwegian cask matured aquavit.18.90€27,00€ / l
Water of life in the rest of the world
In Scandinavian countries, aquavit has a strong heritage. There are distinct rules what kind of snaps is aquavit and what is not. In the rest of the world, "aquavit" as a term is interpreted differently; if you meat people abroad, they might have refer to aquavit as a water of life – a term that originally in the history meant any kind of spiced spirit.