A trio of award-winning British distilleries are joining up to spread the word about
Aquavit - a popular spirit in Scandinavia which is traditionally enjoyed straight
with food and on celebrations. It may be lesser known, but it's just as delicious (if not more!) as many of the drinks we already know about.
Orkney Spirits Limited, (Orkney, Scotland) Psychopomp Microdistillery
(Bristol, England) and Silver Circle Distillery (Monmouthshire, Wales) are
respectively the first Scottish, English and Welsh producers of Aquavit, and have
now joined forces to increase its UK awareness and popularity, under the banner
of ‘British Aquavit’.
“We want more people to know about this delicious and versatile spirit, so as the
first distilleries to make it here in the UK, we’re pooling our efforts to spread the
word about what Aquavit is - and more importantly - how great it tastes!”
says Erin Watt, Marketing Manager at Orkney Gin Distillery.
Aquavit/Aqvavit/Akvavit is a botanical spirit, with the spelling and specific flavour
profile varying depending on the country. It is produced in the same way as gin,
but with dill and/or caraway as lead botanicals, instead of juniper.
“Across our three distilleries, we’ve all got different styles of Aquavit, but there
are common similarities - just like when you look back at the heritage of
traditional Aquavit in Scandinavia. They all have their own idiosyncrasies - which
means there is plenty of room for people like us to experiment.” said Stephanie
Peck, head of Operations at Psychopomp Micro-Distillery.
Each of the three independent distilleries produces their own expression, but
share a love for Aquavit’s savoury flavour profile and versatility - and especially
what it brings to cocktails.
“As a group, we all recognise that there is a lot of potential for Aquavit in this
country; once people try it, they tend to love it - but it’s still relatively unknown. As
a cocktail ingredient, it really is phenomenal, it just brings a whole new
dimension.” says Joe Howden, co-founder of Silver Circle Distillery, who have
used their own Silver Circle Aquavit in some of their unique small-batch premixed
cocktails.
The three distilleries have now created a short film which showcases how each
of their individual aquavits are made, and how they might be used to create new
and unusual versions of popular cocktails - like a Martini or a Bloody Mary.
They have also created a ‘British Aquavit’ tasting pack & for those who want to
dive straight in and learn more about this Scandinavian favourite which can be
enjoyed on its own, with food, and in a variety of cocktails at home.
The tasting packs are available from:
They include 3 X 50ml bottles - one each of Orkney Akvavit, Psychopomp Aqvavit & Silver Circle Aquavit, plus an online guided tasting for people to learn more about this spirit while they taste it.
Notes to editors
About Silver Circle Distillery
Silver Circle Distillery creates handmade craft spirits in the Monmouthshire
village of Catbrook, deep in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Silver Circle’s Aquavit has previously picked up a silver award at the International
Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC), the world's largest and most influential
international spirit awards. Judges at the IWSC scored it 91 out of 100,
complementing the “...warm earthy aromas of rye cereals and caraway, plenty of
spice on the palate with an anise and nutty five-spice sweetness and lingering in
the mouth on a warm peppery note."
For more information, visit: https://silvercircledistillery.com
About Orkney Gin Company
Orkney Spirits Limited, who are best known as Orkney Gin Company, hand-craft
their gins and aquavit in their small family run distillery on the shores of Orkney’s
idyllic Scapa Flow. These beautiful islands are full of unique history, once
belonging to Scandinavia before they were gifted to Scotland.
The company’s small batch ‘Orkney Akvavit’ is distilled an impressive eight times
for over 24 hours with lots of whole, fresh and hand-picked botanicals including
rose hips, whole orange segments and cinnamon. In 2022 Orkney Akvavit was
named the ‘World’s Best Aquavit’ in the World Drinks Awards and has been
noted as “Brilliantly clear, (with) astonishingly vibrant caraway nose. Smooth,
pure, (with a) clean essence of caraway caught in an iceberg" by the esteemed
Great Taste Awards judges, who have awarded the spirit ‘three stars’ twice since
its release in 2020.
For more information, visit: https://www.orkneygincompany.com/
About Psychopomp Microdistillery
Psychopomp is a small, independent, carbon neutral Micro-Distillery based in an
old grocery shop on St Michaels hill, Bristol. They use handmade 30L copper pot
stills to produce spirit in small batches, using a single shot method.
Psychopomp were the first UK distillery to produce a British Aqvavit, inspired by
the Danish style but with their own Bristol twist. They also produce their signature
gin recipe ‘WODEN’ alongside limited edition seasonal recipes and bespoke
batches for local independent restaurants/producers/businesses, as well as other
unique spirits: a Parisian style Absinthe and single origin coffee digestif.
For more information, visit: https://www.microdistillery.co.uk
