Hvönn Brennivín – Icelandic Aquavit
Reykjavík, Höfuðborgarsvæði, Iceland
- ABV
- 38%
- Base spirit
- Unknown
- Color
- Clear
- Style
- Unaged Aquavit
Hvönn is an Icelandic small-batch brennivín, or Icelandic-style aquavit, created by Hálogi Distillery under its Spirits of Iceland label. Introduced alongside Söl by 2016, it was built around wild Icelandic angelica and blueberries, with caraway providing the characteristic aquavit spice. Contemporary reporting described the angelica and blueberries as being infused and distilled with the spirit, while the blueberries were used to soften the character of the caraway-led brennivín.
The name Hvönn is the Icelandic word for angelica, directly reflecting one of the principal botanicals. The bottle was part of the distillery’s original handcrafted Reykjavík range and was bottled in a 500 ml format at 38% ABV.
The botanical artwork was created as part of the original Söl/Hvönn packaging project developed with Studio Kristjana Williams.
Icelandic state sales statistics record Hvönn from 2016 through 2021. By 2022, the original Hvönn bottling no longer appears in Vínbúðin’s records. Hálogi’s later Aquavit Angelica & Caraway preserves the core angelica-and-caraway concept, but it should be treated as a separate expression rather than a confirmed direct continuation of Hvönn. The original Hvönn bottling should therefore be regarded as a historical expression no longer present in the current Spirits of Iceland range.
Bottle gallery
About the producer
Hálogi Distillery
Reykjavík, Höfuðborgarsvæði, Iceland
Hálogi Distillery, operating under the Spirits of Iceland name, is a family-run micro-distillery in Reykjavík. Its origins trace to 2015, when Magnús, drummer in the Icelandic heavy-metal band Black Death, received a bottle of homemade spirit as payment for playing at a wedding. Back home, he began experimenting with the spirit together with his brother Snorri and their mother Rán, infusing small samples with Icelandic herbs, berries and other local ingredients.
Early experiments included wild thyme, blueberries and angelica, followed by trials with seaweed that helped shape the family’s idea of creating spirits rooted in Icelandic ingredients. After obtaining permission for experimental alcohol production, the project developed into Hálogi Distillery. A family friend, the historian Hjörtur, became involved as a taster during the development process.
The distillery’s later range expanded into aquavit, Brennivín, gin, vodka and seasonal or limited-edition spirits, with Icelandic botanicals remaining a recurring element of the house style. Today, Spirits of Iceland continues to present itself as a Reykjavík micro-distillery focused on handcrafted spirits that combine Icelandic tradition with locally inspired ingredients.
