Carum Organic Molecular Aquavit
Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
- ABV
- 45%
- Base spirit
- Grain (unspecified)
- Color
- Clear
- Style
- Unaged Aquavit
Carum Organic Molecular Aquavit is produced by Linden Leaf in Cambridge, England. It is a clear, unaged aquavit bottled at 45% ABV in 500 ml bottles and certified organic by the Soil Association.
The recipe uses twelve botanicals, including caraway, sheep’s sorrel and Aztec sweet herb. Caraway forms the traditional aquavit foundation, while Linden Leaf’s extraction process is designed to build a longer sequence of herbal, earthy, citrus and warm spice flavours.
Carum is made using Linden Leaf’s molecular approach to botanical extraction. The company works at reduced pressure to extract delicate ingredients at low temperatures and normally processes botanicals individually, adjusting extraction conditions for the particular flavour compounds it wants to retain. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry are used to analyse botanical extracts and guide the development and consistency of the blends.
Carum received a Gold medal with 95 points at the 2020 USA Spirits Ratings and a Bronze medal at the 2020 International Wine & Spirit Competition.
About the producer
Linden Leaf
Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
Linden Leaf was founded in Cambridge in 2018 by Matthew Webster, Paul Bennett and Mukund Unavane, three scientists and engineers whose earlier work included astrophysics, software, mathematics and large-scale technology projects. Their interest in molecular gastronomy led them to explore how individual aroma compounds could be extracted from herbs, spices, fruit and other ingredients and then recombined in spirits.
The company combines conventional distillation with laboratory-based flavour analysis and extraction techniques including low-temperature vacuum distillation. Botanicals are usually extracted individually, with variables such as pressure and temperature adjusted to favour particular aromatic compounds. The extracts are analysed using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry before being used in blends. Linden Leaf buys its base alcohol from specialist producers rather than distilling neutral alcohol from raw agricultural material itself.
Linden Leaf’s range has expanded beyond its original molecular gins to include vodka, absinthe, aquavit, botanical Single Note spirits and concentrated cocktail essences. Its spirits and essences are produced in Cambridge, and the range is certified organic by the Soil Association.