Category: Origins

A World’s First

The winners of the Nordic Spirits Award were just announced, and for the first time ever an aquavit took one of the top spots in the gin category of an international spirits competition. Nuet Dry Aquavit got a silver medal in the
competitive gin category, and by doing so they wrote themselves into the history books. Founder Morten Pharo Halle is happy for the recognition, and says it’s all according to plan:

“We’ve spent an enormous amount of time and effort in developing the first aquavit ever to be enjoyed all-year round, all over the world, primarily in cocktails, as opposed to traditional aquavits that are mostly enjoyed neat at Christmas or midsommar. We really wanted to show the world what a great aquavit can be. When developing the Nuet Dry Aquavit, we had two litmus tests; it had to really shine both in a martini and with tonic, which of course are cocktails usually reserved for gin. Therefore it’s fantastic to be the first aquavit ever to get an award in the gin category, and with that make history.”

Startup with Global Ambitions

Nuet was founded in 2018 by Morten Pharo Halle from Oslo, Norway. The ambition was to take aquavit outside the Scandi borders, and out to the world. The small company spent most of 2019 what would become a whole
new type of spirit; the world’s first super-premium aquavit. More than a hundred test-distillings had to be done before the then two-person company had perfected the recipe. The recipe was developed by the company’s first
(and at that time only) employee, product developed Benjamin Lee, who is one of Norway’s best-known bartenders. He wanted to combine the best of almost 500 years of Scandinavian aquavit tradition with innovation, to create
a product unlike anything on the market. The reception has been fantastic so far, and the company has managed to grow despite the obvious challenges posed by Covid-19.

Morten Pharo Halle comments: “We’ve luckily always had very realistic expectations, despite the huge potential we see for Nuet long-term. This has meant we’ve been very well-suited to face such unforeseen challenges like the one Covid-19 has been. 2020 was a great year for us, and 2021 is shaping up to become even better. Our product is on the menu of everything from Michelin star restaurants to ski resorts, in classic cocktails, new creations and of course our
signature serve the Nuet Spritz, which has sold out wherever we have introduced it. We are looking to expand further into new markets globally, and we’re on track to accomplish our mission, which is to share Scandinavian moments with people all over the world, through the best aquavit products ever made.”

A Great Award

Nuet Aquavit has a quite different approach when it comes to competitions and awards than many of their competitors. They rarely participate, and they rarely boast about awards they may receive. But this one’s different, as
Benjamin Lee explains:

“We notice that most companies win some sort of award for their products, so we see little point in shouting about it when we do as well. However, comments like the one we got from London Spirits Competition late 2020, where were
mentioned as “the world’s first aquavit that serves as a proper premium gin substitute”, are different. And writing history by being the first aquavit ever to get a top award in the gin category of an international spirits award is something
else. It really sets us apart. Promoting a product as unique as ours can be tricky at times, but being a pioneer is always tough. Getting the recognition we got from the Nordic Spirits Awards make us more motivated to keep pushing.

Nuet Aquavit is a modern take on the quintessentially Scandinavian aquavit, with almost five centuries of tradition. Bringing Scandinavian moments to you. Want to read more? Check out our blog at nuetaquavit.com/stories and follow our Instagram @nuetaquavit to get instant updates on new posts!

Wrinkled-Up Noses

In order to see how Nuet went from a mere idea to what it is today, we need to take it all back to where it started. Back to the St. Hans area of Oslo, the capital of Norway, in the autumn of 2018. Founder Morten Pharo Halle had been thinking about aquavit for years. Thinking about the potential in this quintessentially Scandinavian spirit. After all, Scandis drink aquavit whenever there is something to celebrate. At Christmas and Easter, the crayfish parties and the midsommar celebrations in Sweden, and the Norwegian constitution day celebrations on May 17th, to mention a few occasions. But still, despite having a dear place in Scandinavians’ hearts, aquavit was nowhere to be found outside the Scandi borders. This review of a traditional aquavit brand from the Norway Pavilion at the Epcot World Showcase in Florida pretty much sums up why that is the case:

We asked one of the Norwegian cast members her opinion of Aquavit, and we were greeted with a wrinkled-up nose. I gotta tell ya, after sipping it, I’d agree with the summation. We decided that it tasted a whole lot like cough syrup…but liquorice cough syrup, which is a little better than normal I guess. Regardless, a couple of sips were enough to confirm that this probably wasn’t something I needed to do again immediately.”

Yes You Can

Reviews like the one above made sure aquavit remained a Scandinavian secret. An acquired taste, if you like. We wanted to do something about this, and really show the potential that lies within aquavit. You can make great aquavit. You can make an aquavit so great it can improve any usually gin-based drink. You can make the world’s first aquavit that serves as a proper premium gin substitute. This was an idea shared by Benjamin Lee, one of the best bartenders in Norway. So when Morten met him randomly at his bar that autumn of 2018 and told him about his plan to make the world’s best aquavit, Benjamin was instantly interested. So interested, he soon became Nuet’s first employee, responsible for the development of the recipe for the Nuet Dry Aquavit. And in January 2019 the development phase began.

Bravery and Innovation

Aquavit is actually a quite versatile and malleable product. Simply put, it’s potato spirits infused with herbs and spices. It’s not very different from gin in that way, and it’s usually distilled the same way also. Hence, the potential in aquavit is huge, though it would take both bravery and innovation to realize said potential. Benjamin wanted to combine the best of both tradition and innovation in order to create something truly unique. He started off by taking away traditional heavy herbs like fennel- and anise seeds, and replacing them with fresher botanicals like grapefruit peel, blackcurrant and blackcurrant leaves for more fresh, fruity, citrusy notes, far more suitable for drinks, as well as being far easier on the palate. The traditional caraway was toned down, and subtle notes of angelica seeds and cubeb pepper were added for complexity and a nice long smooth finish.

A Balancing Act

However, the real secret lies in the balance, in getting the combination of flavours just right. This took more than 100 test-distillings to perfect, but during the summer of 2019, the Nuet Dry Aquavit was ready. It had passed the two litmus tests set by Benjamin and Morten; it worked perfectly with tonic water, and it was excellent in a dry martini. These are two honest drinks where there is “nowhere to hide”, so it requires the best of products, and neither Benjamin nor Morten had ever tasted an aquavit that could pass both tests. Until now.

Handmade With Love in Oslo

It seems that everything is handmade these days. Nuet is no exception, though we, in all honesty, hope to be able to automate the bottling process one day. If we are to ever reach our mission of sharing Scandinavian moments with people all over the world, this is a necessity. However, for the time being, every single bottle of Nuet Dry Aquavit gets a lot of love and attention from the entire Nuet team. Because on bottling day it doesn’t matter what your position in the company is; everyone helps out. Bottles are washed, filled, labelled, corked and packed away, all by hand. It started out as an idea. An idea of taking something that puts a wrinkle on your nose and turning it into something that puts a smile on your face.

The end result is a product that is a world’s first; the world’s first aquavit that serves as a proper premium gin substitute.
Now that you have read all this we are certain you want to have a taste of Nuet Dry Aquavit, so why not check out our webshop or order one of our suppliers, like The Whiskey Exchange, Master of Malt and Vinmonopolet.

Here at Nuet, we publish weekly blog posts about everything Scandinavian. We also suggest reading our last story about Nuet Dry Aquavit here. Read more at nuetaquavit.com/stories and follow our Instagram @nuetaquavit to get instant updates on new posts.  

The Home of Scandinavian Caraway

In Trønderlag county, in the middle of Norway, we find a small peninsula covered in fields and forests, responsible for over two-thirds of Scandinavia’s caraway production. The peninsula is Inderøy, where around 15 farms are producing tonnes upon tonnes with caraway every year. From Inderøy, the caraway is bound for spice makers, tea manufacturers and aquavit distilleries all across Scandinavia. One of the farms harvesting and selling caraway to the nordic market is Inderøy Karve. The small family-owned company has been in business for decades and delivers the spice to the majority of Norwegian aquavit distilleries, among others, Nuet Aquavit.

Small Margins

The production of caraway is more challenging than many other spices. The plant is harvested annually, mainly in late July or early August. It is only a matter of a few days where the spice is ready for harvest, after that the quality may shrink dramatically. Therefore, caraway farmers have to check their crops daily to see if it is ready to be harvested and then start the process right away. The caraway plants are also prone to temperature changes, air moisture, rain, winds and insects. With so many factors influencing the production, a good harvest may be ten times as large as a bad harvest.

To get the most out of the flavour, the processing must be precise. After the harvest, the caraway has to dry in a barn for four to seven days with continous oversught. This is done so the harsh oils evaporate and leave the spice with its rich flavour. When it has dried the caraway is partitioned into bags of 25kg each ready for the market.

A Swinging Demand

Although the story of caraway goes back 5000 years, it did not become widespread in Norway before the 1800s. For a long time, caraway export was a thriving industry. But around the mid 20th century, other crops became cheaper to produce and the nationwide production almost came to a halt. For decades the industry struggled with low demand. But in the early 90’s the interest for the crop grew, and so did the production. In 1994 Inderøy Karve was established and they kickstarted the spice production on the small peninsula where we now see the epicentre of nordic caraway production.

Interesting read? Then consider reading our blog post about the story of aquavit, 500 Years of Scandinavian Moments. Here at Nuet, we publish weekly blog posts about everything Scandinavian. Read our posts at nuetaquavit.com/stories and follow our Instagram @nuetaquavit to get instant updates on new post straight to your feed!

An Acquired Taste

For years and years Nuet Aquavit founder Morten Pharo Halle from Oslo, Norway had a recurring discussion with his mates when they met up for a drink: What an underappreciated product aquavit really is. This quintessentially Scandinavian product with almost 5 centuries of history is a staple during celebrations like the Christmas dinner, midsummer, the 17th of May celebrations and the crayfish parties in the autumn. For us Scandinavians, aquavit has a special place in our hearts, though many will admit they enjoy it with gritted teeth. And here lies the issue with traditional aquavit; it’s an acquired taste. The heavy influence of spices like caraway, fennel and anise seeds makes it quite strong, and the scope of use quite limited. What if someone combined the best of tradition and innovation to make an aquavit that was clearly an aquavit in its right sense, but was also fresh and smooth, and suitable to enjoy all-year-round by people all over the world, in a whole array of drinks? After all, aquavit is made the same way as gin, only with even more room to play around with different flavours.

Less Talk, More Action

Late 2018 Morten decided it was time to stop talking about the potential of aquavit, and actually show it. By coincidence he met Benjamin Lee, one of Norway’s most renowned bartenders and bar owners, and they started discussing the idea of creating the world’s best aquavit. Shortly after, Nuet Aquavit was founded, and by early 2019 Benjamin had started the development process. Even before doing the first test distillation, Benjamin had most of the recipe ready in his head. The heavy spices of fennel and anise seeds of traditional aquavits were to be replaced with grapefruit peel and blackcurrant for freshness, citrus and viscosity, whilst the traditional caraway was going to remain, honouring tradition. The combination would prove fantastic, as it gave the aquavit a smoothness and freshness not seen in aquavits before, whilst still being clearly an aquavit with a subtle caraway influence. Another 6 months and more than 100 test distillations were spent getting the balance perfectly right, and by the summer of 2019 the Nuet 7.1.1. was created, now known as the Nuet Dry Aquavit.

Like Gin, Only Better

Whilst developing the Nuet Dry Aquavit, Benjamin and Morten only had two criteria that needed to be met: It had to work perfectly with tonic water, and it needed to really shine as a martini drink. These are two drinks in which there is no place to hide, and so they really only work the very best of gins. Or, as in this case, the very best aquavit. Neither Benjamin nor Morten had ever come across an aquavit that would pass these two litmus tests, so if they managed to be the first to do so, they would be sure to have a truly unique product; the world’s first aquavit to serve as a proper substitute to premium gin. By the summer of 2019, both tests were passed with flying colours, and people can now judge for themselves, by making their own Nuet & tonics, and Nuet dry martinis.

Handmade in Oslo

Distillation of Nuet Dry Aquavit is done at the great OHD facilities in Oslo, Norway. Carefully sourced botanicals are steeped for 24 hours then distilled in a copper pot still. Additionally, we use a vapour basket for added botanical extraction, and to maximise the delicate botanical notes. We distil low and slow to get the most out of our ingredients. The aquavit is then rested for a month before it’s ready to spread Scandinavian moments around the world. Like traditional aquavit, the base spirit is made of Norwegian potatoes, and the traditional caraway is sourced from beautiful Inderøy in the north of Norway. At the moment the entire process of bottling, with cleaning, filling, labelling, corking and packing, is done by hand, with the help of friends and other volunteers.

Scandinavian Moments For All

At the heart of our brand is a desire to live in the moment. “Nuet” means “the now” in Scandinavian, and we want people all over the world to appreciate those small moments in everyday life, as well as the grand occasions. Being “in the now” is a central part of Scandinavian heritage, and could be a key reason for why the Scandinavian countries consistently rank among the top in the world in terms of happiness, as research has shown that mindfulness and gratefulness is key to our mental health. We are now able to bring a tiny piece of Scandinavian living to people across the world, as Nuet has now become the first Norwegian company ever to sell spirits online, through our very own webshop. In Norway, it’s readily available at Vinmonopolet’s website, and the same goes for Systembolaget in Sweden. You can also order from online retailers like Master of Malt and Whisky Exchange.

Interesting read? Then we suggest reading our blog post on the history of aquavit, 500 Years of Scandinavian Moments. Here at Nuet, we strive to share the moments and the stories from the great Scandinavian region. We publish weekly blog posts about Scandinavian cuisine, culture, and people. Read our stories at nuetaquavit.com/stories and follow our Instagram @nuetaquavit for instant updates on new posts straight to your feed.