Flavor Profile
Michigan-based Long Road Distillers’ Aquavit isn’t just about the caraway. It’s also about that base. It is distilled from 100% Michigan grown Red Winter Wheat. They use a combination of botanicals, including fennel seed, which makes Long Road Aquavit a bit of a “Swedish style” aquavit. These botanicals are macerated before distillation and bottling at 45% ABV.
Tasting notes
Color: Clear and taffel style.
Aroma: Caraway is strong but there’s a gentle vegetal note suggestive of carrot when poured. Especially warm, and as it sits, cumin seed makes a strong presence on the nose as well.
Flavor: The palate is thankfully less cumin-forward. Fennel with some vanilla and creamy facets are highlighted by crisp caraway seed that slowly eases into notes of dill and gentle cumin.
Finish: Smooth, very light in astringency, Long Road Aquavit’s finish has a kiss of creaminess highlighted with subtle caraway, licorice root and fennel seed notes. Warm and at room temperature, Long Road Aquavit is one of the most flavorsome and accessible.
Cocktails and suggested serves
If you’re a bartender, I think there’s few aquavits that lend themselves as well to cocktail crafting as Long Road Aquavit. Try it in a Trident— or if you’re more a gin drinker you’re more likely to have the ingredients for a Negroni on hand. It works well there as well, though I suggest dialing up the aquavit to 1.5:1:1 ratio to allow the fennel notes to still come through.
Overall, Long Road Aquavit
There’s a reason Long Road Aquavit has been winning awards since 2016— it truly is one of the best American distilled aquavits and is a worthy competitor to the throne internationally. To even our friends in Scandinavia, who have well established favorites, I recommend giving Long Road Aquavit a try. It rivals some of the best available today.
Smooth, complex, accessible— Long Road Aquavit is a winner worth the praise that’s been heaped upon it.
Highly recommended.
Awards
