Brennivín Special Cask Selection 2016 Aquavit
Reykjavík, Höfuðborgarsvæði, Iceland
- ABV
- 40%
- Base spirit
- Grain (unspecified)
- Color
- Pale Gold
- Style
- Barrel-Aged Aquavit
Brennivín Special Cask Selection 2016 is a limited barrel-aged Icelandic aquavit released under the Brennivín brand. The bottle is marked “2016 Release” and “Special Cask Selection” and was bottled at 40% ABV in a 750 ml format. The neck strip identifies the maturation as involving sherry casks and bourbon barrels.
Contemporary documentation describes the release as finished in Oloroso sherry casks and former bourbon barrels. The underlying Brennivín uses a neutral grain base, with caraway incorporated during a second distillation through a botanical basket in a copper pot still. The Special Cask Selection series was bottled non-chill filtered, with cask maturation adding secondary vanilla, fruit and oak-derived notes while retaining Brennivín’s characteristic caraway profile.
The 2016 bottling was reviewed by Wine Enthusiast in November 2016 as a 750 ml, 40% ABV limited-edition winter aquavit matured in former bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks. The publication described vanilla, pear, rye-bread spice and light smoky notes in the finished spirit.
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.
