Brennivín Jólín 2017 Christmas Aquavit
Reykjavík, Höfuðborgarsvæði, Iceland
- ABV
- 40%
- Base spirit
- Grain (unspecified)
- Color
- Pale Gold
- Style
- Barrel-Aged Aquavit, Christmas Edition
- Maturation
- Ex-Sherry cask
Brennivín Jólín 2017, 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 the release among its 2017 Christmas aquavits under the name Brennivín Jólin 2017.
Jólín 2017 was the first Brennivín release made entirely from spirit matured in old sherry casks. Earlier barrel-aged Brennivín releases had combined sherry and bourbon maturation, whereas Jólín 2017 used only sherry-cask-matured components. The producer blended Brennivín that had spent different lengths of time in cask, with the oldest component matured for approximately two years. The underlying spirit remained caraway-led, while the finished aquavit had a pale golden colour.
The release carried Vínbúðin product number 10813. Official 2017 sales records show 388 bottles sold, corresponding to 271.6 litres, but this figure represents recorded sales rather than the total production run and should not be treated as the edition size.
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.
