Fjordin Crossin Aquavit

Fjordin Crossin Aquavit was an event-specific release from The Hardware Distillery in Hoodsport, Washington, associated with the annual Fjordin Crossin celebration on Hood Canal. The event was conceived as a local homage to the Scandinavian tradition of sending aquavit to sea. Rather than undertaking an equatorial voyage, a barrel of The Hardware Distillery’s aged Dill Aquavit was carried from the distillery to the Port of Hoodsport and taken by boat toward Tahuya and back across Hood Canal. Upon its return, the spirit was described as having been “Fjordin Crossin.”

Before the crossing, the aquavit barrel was carried in a procession from the distillery to the waterfront, accompanied by Scandinavian musicians and members of the Sons of Norway. The boat carrying the barrel then crossed the canal while participants in the Paddle the Canal Challenge followed in kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddleboards, and small sailboats. The event also included Scandinavian food, local oysters, vendors, children’s activities, and aquavit cocktails served to visitors.

After the barrel returned to Hoodsport, the festivities continued with an after-party at the distillery. Contemporary event information records distiller Chuck Morris bottling the aquavit there and offering complimentary samples. The Fjordin Crossin release therefore represented a particularly local interpretation of the maritime aquavit tradition: an already barrel-aged Dill Aquavit given a brief ceremonial voyage across Hood Canal immediately before bottling.

The underlying Dill Aquavit was produced from The Hardware Distillery’s pear vodka and was described by the distillery as having a subtle dill character. The available sources confirm that the spirit used for Fjordin Crossin had already been barrel-aged before the crossing, although the duration of maturation, type of cask, previous fill, and other barrel specifications have not been documented in the sources located so far.