Brennivín Jólín 2018 Christmas Aquavit
Reykjavík, Höfuðborgarsvæði, Iceland
- ABV
- 40%
- Base spirit
- Grain (unspecified)
- Color
- Gold
- Style
- Barrel-Aged Aquavit, Christmas Edition
- Maturation
- 1 year in Ex-Sherry cask
Brennivín Jólín 2018, also presented as The Real Christmas Spirit, is a limited Christmas-edition Icelandic aquavit released under the Brennivín brand. The bottle is labelled “Sherry Cask Aquavit” and was bottled at 40% ABV in a 700 ml format. Vínbúðin listed it among the 2018 Christmas aquavits as Brennivín Jólin 2018.
The 2018 release was matured for one year in sherry casks. Contemporary Icelandic coverage specifically described the aquavit as having spent a full year in those casks, while German import documentation from the same period likewise identifies Jólín 2018 as the annual Christmas Brennivín matured in sherry barrels. The underlying spirit remained caraway-led, with the maturation adding a pronounced sherry character.
The release retained the red Jólín presentation used for Brennivín’s Christmas editions, with “Jólín 2018” and “The Real Christmas Spirit” printed on the front label. Vínbúðin recorded 263 bottles sold in 2018 under product number 10813; this is a sales figure rather than a confirmed production total.
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.
