The first records of distilled grains spirits appeared in Ireland and Scotland in the 1400’s. Over time, these spirits became known as whiskey, which is the anglicized version of the Gaelic word uisce beatha (Ish-ca Baa-ha) which means water of life. English colonization spread whiskey making it to both Canada and the United States and the types of whiskey they made evolved based on the grains that grew well in those climates and soils. Before the 1800’s, whiskey was largely stored in barrels simply for transportation. But, around the turn of the 19th century, people noticed that whiskey stored in barrels had a better flavor and aroma and so began purposefully aging whiskey before selling it. As distilling technology improved, it expanded the variety of whiskey styles that could be made to match the preferences of the drinking public.
The largest brands of aquavit come from the Nordic countries of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland, however, there is a growing number of US craft distillers who also make aquavit.
Aquavit is a distilled spirit that gets its flavor primarily by distilling caraway. However, each producer adds additional botanicals such as dill, coriander, fennel, star anise, or citrus. Similarly to how gin is made, many producers macerate botanicals in the still or place them in a basket. As the spirit is distilled, the alcohol traps the flavor compounds from the botanicals and carries them into the spirit. After distillation the aquavit is bottled unaged, then proofed down with the addition of water until it reaches the desired bottling strength. If aged, the high strength aquavit is placed in barrels until it is ready to be bottled.
A traditionally Nordic spirit, aquavit gets its name from the Latin term for distilled spirits aqua vita, meaning water of life.
A biennial plant in the carrot family, caraway is a flowering plant that is primarily cultivated for its seeds which are used to flavor drinks (aquavit, kummel) as well as salads, soups, stews, and breads.
A term used in the Nordic countries to refer to the process of drinking aquavit in one snappy movement. Schnapps/aquavit should not be confused with German schnapps which can refer to fruit brandy, or American schnapps which refers to flavored liqueurs.