Aalborg Nordguld

Nose: Pine needles, orange, caraway, anise. It’s a rather gentle and laid-back nose but it’s also nicely integrated, presenting a well-composed melange of aromas with a focus on citrus. Palate: Mildly sweet and spicy with a tang of white pepper, citrus oil, caraway and a pinch of anise. There is a little vanilla present as well but it’s wispy and fleeting. The texture is OK but nothing special. Finish: Medium/short. It fades relatively quickly leaving a slight tingle of pepper (or coriander?) and baking spices against light sweetness. I bought this a few days ago while reminiscing about the aquavits I had in Norway last year, but this is a different sort of creature. I’d heard previously that there is a difference between Danish and Norwegian aquavit and now I get it. If you wanted to be kind you could describe this as elegant and refined, but you could just as reasonably call it thin. It definitely has a less complex palate than any Norwegian aquavit I tasted. This particular expression, which translates as “Northern Gold”, uses amber as a flavouring agent, which is pretty out-there and accounts for the name. I do get a very mild pine-needle quality on nose and palate which is the amber showing up, I guess. Not unpleasant at all, and I’ll happily finish the bottle, but I won’t be buying a replacement. “Average” : 79/100 (2.75 stars)