Holidays, festivals, family and merrymaking. Chances are, if you find yourself among Scandinavians, those activities will include a bottle (or two) of Aquavit. These are the first lines you’ll find printed on the back label of our newest spirit, Stjärna Aquavit. We initially released a short run back in 2018, kind of a ‘fun’ exercise in distillation since there are many similarities to gin, and with our head distiller being half Swedish, we’ve always loved aquavit. This will now be a regular spirit in production, and while it uses the same recipe as our initial release, the depth of flavor is even better since we’ve been able to make some slight changes in the production process. Stjärna is Swedish for ‘Star’, as star anise is our main flavor component. It is distilled and finished in the taffel style, which means it is a clear aquavit (not aged or post-infused, all flavor comes through in the distillation). It’s held in balance by the more earthy tones from caraway seed and grains of paradise, and finishes with a bright lift of orange peel. At 80 proof it is a very smooth sipping spirit with endless potential. Recipes
