Opland Juvel Aquavit

Opland Juvel Aquavit, NAS, 51 %

This is a truly unique release. For the past 100 years or so, Arcus (and their predecessor) have been putting down casks of aquavit every time there has been a significant Norwegian royal event, like weddings, births etc. These old aquavits have been kept in oak for as long as possible, and then transferred to glass containers like demijohns.

The Opland Juvel Aquavit is composed of many of the oldest of these royal castle aquavits (“slottsakevitt”), where the oldest component aquavit is from 1929!

This is by far the oldest (and most expensive) aquavit ever released. The release is limited to 19 bottles in total!

The bottle comes in a hand-crafted wooden box. made by a craft artist, that is said to have had a production cost alone of around NOK 3000 per box!

The Opland Juvel Aquavit goes on sale tomorrow and will set you back a solid NOK 15175 (12438101).

Nose: Wow! Mind blown immediately! I have tasted quite a few aquavits, and many of them are matured for merely the minimum one year, resulting a rather raw and unbalanced spicy experience. This aquavit introduces itself with a refined and exquisite, deep and aromatic, spice symphony. It is so integrated, profound and well-played. Sure there is caraway, but it does not bully or dominate, it is a true team player. There are mild notes of caraway, citrus, vanilla, dried fruits and aniseed. It is earthy, warm, and deeply sweet.

Taste: Insanely rich, deep, fruity and smooth. Yes, it is a cliche to call a dram smooth, but this truly is super smooth. Again the spices are well-rounded, balanced and make a cohesive whole, unmatched in any other aquavit I’ve ever tasted. Caraway and aniseed, sure, but they are contributing to a balanced whole. Lots of sugary sweetness - vanilla sugar, marshmallows etc.

Finish: Very long finish - it seems to go on forever. Hardly any oakiness to detect here. Soft and delicate. A bit more herbal and spicy towards the end.

Comment: This is truly a finely tuned masterpiece!

Score 94/100

Sláinte!
- Thomas