Brennivín Jólín 2016 Christmas Aquavit
Reykjavík, Höfuðborgarsvæði, Iceland
- ABV
- 40%
- Base spirit
- Grain (unspecified)
- Color
- Pale Gold
- Style
- Barrel-Aged Aquavit, Christmas Edition
- Maturation
- 6 months in Ex-Sherry cask + Ex-Bourbon cask
Brennivín Jólín 2016, also presented as The Real Christmas Spirit, is a limited Christmas-edition Icelandic aquavit released under the Brennivín brand. The 2016 expression was matured for six months in sherry and bourbon casks and bottled at 40% ABV in a 700 ml format. Vínbúðin listed it among the 2016 Christmas aquavits, while contemporary Icelandic coverage confirms the six-month cask maturation.
The underlying spirit remains caraway-led Brennivín, while the cask maturation adds secondary sherry- and bourbon-derived character. Contemporary tasting coverage described vanilla, coconut, pepper and grain aromas, with caraway still clearly present in the finished spirit.
Vínbúðin’s 2016 sales records list Brennivín Jólín 2016 under product no. 10813 in the Akvavit category, with 477 bottles sold that year.
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.
