Aquavit? What in the blazes is that?

We use Linie aquavit to help cure one of our smoked salmon flavours.

Appropriately called Erik the Red as it is also cured in beetroot which gives it a beautiful red tint.

Erik the Red was banished from Norway for manslaughter, and travelled to Iceland where he settled before once again being exiled “for some killings”.

Linie aquavit has a great story too. By entering the date on the inside of the label on the bottle you can track its journey. This one left Oslo on the 20th March 2014 and headed to Boston. It then followed the route of Boston - Sydney - Singapore - Yokohama - it arrived in Panama on the 19th June before heading back home to Oslo. All this distance just so it can mature in oak sherry casks that swirl the liquid around on the high seas. Its the only spirit in the world thats matured this way. 

I was introduced to Linie aquavit by a lovely chap called Jan, when I used to work in Norway from time to time. Oh, and thats a random reindeer antler that I picked up in Ålesund about that time. It has a totally useless bell attached.