From 45th Parallel Distillery, who makes several excellent aquavit, comes a limited edition that rests in barrels that underwent quite a journey— European Oak that made it way to California to hold wine, which then made its way to Wisconsin to hold Aquavit.
Alderen is the Danish word for aged— appropriate given the Danish style emphasis on Dill Seed as a botanical in this aquavit.
Tasting notes
Color: Bronze and perfectly transparent
Aroma: Notes of Fino Sherry, dill seed and lovage. Warm and spicy, Gamle Ode Alderen Dill Aquavit wears the wine barrel prominently on the nose.
Flavor: Early, very dry dill seed and a pronounced spiciness. Hints of gentle caramel, lie beneath as the wine barrel begins to blossom. Dry cedar, oak chip, toasted dill seed with a hint of dry coriander.
Finish: Gamle Ode Alderen Dill Aquavit is quite warm, but sits on the palate for a long time bringing a long evolving flavor. Notes of Fino Sherry come through again, as this aquavit finishes quite dry.
Overall, Gamle Ode Alderen Dill Aquavit
A fun experiment that uses a somewhat unusual choice of barrel for resting aquavit— the flavor story is fundamentally about dill seed, dry wine, and oak. While I’d love a bit more botanical intensity, I think the barrel functions well as a botanical— even if I might wonder how well it worked with a shorter resting period.
Overall, whether you like this will come down to your feelings about the barrel choice. It’s an unusual choice that limits its application in cocktails and mixed drinks.
But if you’re looking for an unusual dill forward, aged aquavit that is best sipped neat, check out Gamle Ode Alderen Dill Aquavit.