Brennivín Jólín 2025 Christmas Aquavit
Reykjavík, Höfuðborgarsvæði, Iceland
- ABV
- 40%
- Base spirit
- Grain (unspecified)
- Color
- Gold
- Style
- Barrel-Aged Aquavit, Christmas Edition
- Maturation
- 7 years in Ex-Oloroso cask
Brennivín Jólín 2025, also presented as The Real Christmas Spirit, is a limited-edition Icelandic aquavit released for Christmas under the Brennivín brand and produced by Kveldúlfur Distillery. The 2025 release was matured for seven years in Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 40% ABV in a 700 ml format. The neck label explicitly states “2025 – 7 Years – Matured in Oloroso Sherry Casks.”
The aquavit is individually numbered and limited to 740 bottles. Its long sherry-cask maturation gives the traditionally clear, caraway-led Brennivín a golden color and a much more pronounced oak and sherry influence. Independent judging by the IWSC in 2026 described the spirit as showing caramel, vanilla, herbal notes and a dry, lingering oak-driven finish.
The expression was sold in Iceland as Brennivín Jólín 2025 and forms part of the brand’s long-running seasonal Christmas series. It is distinct from the Special Cask Selection releases, which use different cask combinations and maturation programs.
Bottle gallery
About the producer
Kveldúlfur Distillery
Reykjavík, Höfuðborgarsvæði, Iceland
Kveldúlfur Distillery is the current producer of Brennivín and operates within the Ölgerðin Egill Skallagrímsson group. Vínbúðin identifies Kveldúlfur Distillery as the producer of the standard 40% Brennivín, while Ölgerðin is listed separately as supplier and owns the Brennivín brand.
Kveldúlfur Distillery is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ölgerðin. Ölgerðin’s financial statements list Kveldúlfur Distillery ehf. among the companies owned 100% by the group, alongside Borg Brugghús and several other beverage businesses.
The wider Ölgerðin business was founded in Reykjavík in 1913 by Tómas Tómasson and developed from a small brewery into Iceland’s largest producer of alcoholic beverages. Today the group owns a number of major Icelandic drinks brands, including Brennivín, Gull and Boli, while Kveldúlfur functions as the distilling entity associated with Brennivín production.
The relationship between Brennivín and Ölgerðin is therefore more recent than the spirit itself. Brennivín originated as a state-produced spirit in 1935; after ÁTVR ended alcohol production in 1992, production moved into private hands. The current structure places production with Kveldúlfur Distillery and brand ownership and distribution with Ölgerðin.
Ölgerðin also manages Brennivín as an international brand. Company filings state that the Brennivín word and figurative marks are registered in the European Union and the United Kingdom, while the Brennivín word mark is also registered in Canada.
