Nuet is Now

Nuet means “the now” in Scandinavian. It is often used in the phrase “lev i nuet”, which means “live life in the moment”. Living in the moment, in the now, is a key part of the balanced Scandinavian lifestyle that is so important for our physical and mental health.

Nuet are moments of gratefulness and awareness that we earn through effort, both in the great outdoors and in everyday life. It is the moment you reach the summit of the peak you’re climbing, the well-deserved break on your way there, and it’s tuning out after a long week in the office.

Nuet is the reward for your efforts. It’s the moment you’ve earned.

Nuet is now.

Nuet is Now

Nuet means “the now” in Scandinavian. It is often used in the phrase “lev i nuet”, which means “live life in the moment”. Living in the moment, in the now, is a key part of the balanced Scandinavian lifestyle that is so important for our physical and mental health.

Nuet are moments of gratefulness and awareness that we earn through effort, both in the great outdoors and in everyday life. It is the moment you reach the summit of the peak you’re climbing, the well-deserved break on your way there, and it’s tuning out after a long week in the office.

Nuet is the reward for your efforts. It’s the moment you’ve earned.

Nuet is now.

Aquavit Reinvented

Nuet was born in 2018 through a desire to show the world the full potential of the Scandinavian aquavit, a product that has been around since 1531, but is little-known outside the Scandinavian borders. The category had seen very little innovation over the past few hundred years, and our founder Morten Pharo Halle decided it was time someone changed just that.

With zero experience from the spirits industry, he gathered a team of open-minded and creative people and set out to create Nuet’s first product; the Nuet Dry Aquavit. After 8 months and more than 100 test-distillings the product was ready; the world’s first super-premium aquavit, as suited for cocktails as it was for sipping neat.

Aquavit Reinvented

Nuet was born in 2018 through a desire to show the world the full potential of the Scandinavian aquavit, a product that has been around since 1531, but is little-known outside the Scandinavian borders. The category had seen very little innovation over the past few hundred years, and our founder Morten Pharo Halle decided it was time someone changed just that.

With zero experience from the spirits industry, he gathered a team of open-minded and creative people and set out to create Nuet’s first product; the Nuet Dry Aquavit. After 8 months and more than 100 test-distillings the product was ready; a truly unique aquavit, as suited for cocktails as it was for sipping neat.

Making the Impossible Possible

The Nuet Dry Aquavit had to pass two litmus tests with flying colours before we were happy with the result; it had to work excellently both in a dry martini and with tonic. Simply because these are honest cocktails that require proper premium spirits in order to taste great, and to our knowledge it was a test no other aquavit could pass. Because of this, the Nuet Dry Aquavit has the ability to elevate classic cocktails as well new ones, in addition to being sipped neat.

In order to show the world the versatility of the Nuet Dry Aquavit, we even entered the product in the gin category of the Nordic Spirits Awards in 2021, and it became the first aquavit ever to win a gin award. Winning a gin award as an aquavit is in theory impossible, but we try not to let theory hold us back.

OUR PRODUCTS

Born from a desire to combine centuries of Scandinavian tradition with innovation, our products are developed with painstaking attention to detail.

Nuet Dry Aquavit

Our first ever product was developed in Oslo over eight months and more than a hundred test-distillings. The aim was to combine the best of almost 500 years of Scandinavian aquavit tradition with innovation, in order to create an aquavit unlike anything else on the market.

Our challenge was to create an aquavit with the distinct character of a traditional aquavit, and at the same time make it smooth and fresh, well-suited for sipping neat and for cocktails. Our product developer Benjamin Lee actually had the recipe ready in his head from the start. The traditional caraway, sourced from beautiful Inderøy in Norway, were kept in place. Other traditional spices like fennel- and anise seeds were replaced with fresh botanicals like grapefruit peel, blackcurrant and blackcurrant leaves.

We set ourselves two litmus tests: It had to work wonders with tonic and in a dry martini. These are honest cocktails that require quality spirits, and to the best of our knowledge no other aquavit could do both. In the autumn of 2019 we passed the test. Aquavit version 7.1.1. was introduced the Nuet team. It was excellent. Fresh and smooth, without the burning sensation you often get from traditional aquavits. Benjamin then informed us that what we were drinking was actually 83% proof! We have since dialed the abv down to 43%, but it goes to show that the burning sensation you get from traditional aquavits doesn’t only come from the alcohol itself. It’s about the ingredients and their composition.

“…what we were drinking was actually 83% proof!”

The end result is an aquavit that is fresh and smooth, well-suited for sipping neat and for a plethora of cocktails. It has clear notes of the traditional caraway, fresh citrusy notes from grapefruit, a velvet-like viscosity from the blackberries and a certain “je ne sais quo” from the blackcurrant leaves. The latter leaves many to taste juniper, cucumber and coriander, all of which there is none of in the Nuet Dry Aquavit. Our favourite description is from a friend of ours who said “It reminds me of freshly cut grass” the first time he tried it.

“It reminds me of freshly cut grass”

In order to prove the versatility of the Nuet Dry Aquavit in cocktails, we decided to try to do the impossible. In 2020 we entered in the gin category of the Nordic Spirits Awards, knowing well enough that an aquavit in theory cannot win a gin award. However, the characteristics of the Nuet Dry Aquavit and the fact that we developed it specifically with tonic and a dry martini in mind, made us give it a go. Lo and behold, we won silver in the gin category and made history. Nuet Dry Aquavit is no gin replacement, it is an aquavit. The fact that it is the first and only aquavit ever to win a gin award simply shows its versatility and the innovation that drives us.

“…the first and only aquavit to win a gin award…”

Moments Toddy

During the winter of 2020 our brand abassador James crafted a unique recipe combining the sweet blackcurrant toddy we all remembered from childhood in Scandinavia with the more spicy glühwein common in the Alps. The end result was a “toddy for grown-ups”; sweeter than glühwein, but far more citrusy and spicy than kids’ toddy.

In 2021 we made this into a liqueuer, enabling people to simply add hot apple juice or water to it for a cup or thermos full of hot toddy. Norwegian apples and blackcurrants are mixed with black and white figs, and crushed by hand, before mixed with sugar. This outdoor-macerates for five to six weeks at a farm just outside Oslo, mixed with pink pepper and Nuet Dry Aquavit, left to rest for a few days, and then filtered five times.

The end result is the world’s only aquavit-based toddy. A unique liqueur with a deep red colour, and powerful sweet taste of berries, citrus and spice. Mix about 1/4 of liqueur with 3/4 hot apple juice or water (or a mix of both) for a perfect hot toddy, or use in a wide array of cocktails.

The Moments Toddy is currently only available for sale in Norway and a few selected partner venues in London and Switzerland.