Deep Cove Freyja Barrel Aged Akvavit
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
DeepCove Freyja Barrel Aged Akvavit was an aged aquavit produced by Deep Cove Brewers & Distillers in North Vancouver, British Columbia. It was a limited release from the distillery, produced during the first half of the 2010s and documented from at least 2015.
Freyja Akvavit was bottled in 375 ml bottles at 42.7% ABV. The aquavit was aged for one year in ex-Pinot Noir barrels. The maturation added noticeable toasted and woody notes to the spirit’s characteristic spicy profile.
The flavour profile of Freyja was centred around caraway, one of the traditional and principal botanicals used in Scandinavian aquavit. The complete list of botanicals used in the recipe is unknown.
By early 2015, Freyja was already being served at the Deep Cove tasting room. It was a limited release rather than a permanently available part of the distillery’s range. The exact date of its first release and the number of bottles produced are unknown.
The aquavit is no longer in production.
(Reconstructed bottle image based on surviving photographs of the original label and the bottle type used by Deep Cove.)
Bottle gallery
About the producer
Deep Cove Distillers
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Deep Cove Brewers & Distillers was a craft brewery and distillery based in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 2012, the company operated from #170–2270 Dollarton Highway, producing craft beer as well as small-batch spirits including vodka, gin and seasonal releases.
The distillery became particularly interesting for its experimental and limited spirits. Its range included Deep Cove Vodka, Rosemary & Olive Gin and Barrel Aged Akvavit, among other small-batch releases. The latter was produced only in limited quantities and became one of the distillery’s more distinctive products.
After roughly a decade at the Dollarton Highway location, Deep Cove announced in May 2023 that it could not renew its lease because of complications with the building. At the time, the company said it was actively looking for a new location and intended to continue brewing and distilling.
That relocation apparently never materialized. Current sources list Deep Cove Brewers & Distillers as permanently closed and no longer in business, with the original North Vancouver operation having ceased around the summer of 2023.
Deep Cove therefore belongs to the now-closed generation of small North Shore producers whose spirits survive mainly through old releases and archived records. Its Barrel Aged Akvavit is one of the more unusual examples of that history.
