Sheringham Barrel Aged Akvavit
Langford, British Columbia, Canada
Sheringham Barrel Aged Akvavit is a barrel-aged version of Sheringham Distillery’s Akvavit, produced in British Columbia, Canada. The spirit has the same botanical profile as the distillery’s regular Akvavit, with notes of dill, caraway, anise, citrus and locally harvested winged kelp. It is bottled at 42% ABV.
The Akvavit is aged for eight months in American white oak barrels previously used for the distillery’s whisky. According to Sheringham Distillery, the aging process adds colour, aroma, depth and oak characteristics to the spirit while retaining its original botanical profile.
A product description from Bring Me A Drink identifies the barrels as Red Fife Whisky barrels and notes that the barrel-aged version was developed with bartender Shawn Soole. Soole had previously been involved with the development of Sheringham’s Akvavit.
The original Akvavit is made with B.C. white wheat, B.C. malted barley and botanicals sourced from land and ocean, including sustainably hand-harvested local winged kelp. The barrel-aged version uses the same Akvavit as its base before maturation in oak.
Sheringham recommends serving the barrel-aged Akvavit chilled over ice or using it in cocktails.
Bottle gallery
About the producer
Sheringham Distillery
Langford, British Columbia, Canada
Sheringham Distillery is a Canadian craft distillery founded in 2015 by Jason and Alayne MacIsaac on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
The distillery began in the couple’s home garage in Shirley, B.C. The area has a connection to the Sheringham name: it was originally named Sheringham in 1846, before the name was shortened to Shirley in 1893 so that it would fit on a postage stamp. The distillery takes its name from this earlier history of the area.
After operating in Shirley for three years, Sheringham moved to Sooke, B.C. in 2018 as the business expanded and required more production space. In April 2023, the distillery moved again, this time from Sooke to Langford, where its production facility is located today.
Jason MacIsaac is the company’s Co-Founder and Master Distiller. He is a classically trained chef and spent more than 20 years working with flavour profiles in professional kitchens. Sheringham describes its distilling approach as chef-driven, applying the principles of balancing ingredients and flavours to spirits production.
Alayne MacIsaac is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. Her background includes sales and business ownership, and she oversees areas including strategy, brand development, sales and company growth.
The distillery’s products include gin, akvavit, whisky, vodka and liqueurs. Its approach also includes the use of local and sustainably sourced ingredients where possible. One example is winged kelp, sustainably harvested by marine biologist Amanda Swiminer of Dakini Tidal Wilds in Shirley, B.C. The kelp is used in both Sheringham’s Seaside Gin and Akvavit, where it contributes an ocean-related note to the spirits.
