nuet aquavit | a taste of scandinavia

Aquavit is a spirit that has yet to make its way outside the borders of Scandinavia — but with its brand new take on the northern classic, Nuet Aquavit is set to change that.

Launched in 2018, Nuet brings a new approach to aquavit, inviting people from all around the world to either experience the spirit for the first time or change their view of the generations-old drink. By swapping out the traditional botanicals for a rich array of floral and fruity flavours, Nuet has crafted a spirit that sits comfortably among the finest gins.

Schön! spoke with Nuet’s founders to hear about the label’s history, how the spirit is made and what the brand has planned for the future.

Hello! First, what does aquavit mean to Scandinavians?

Aquavit is a tradition for Scandinavians. We drink it during celebrations like Christmas and Midsommar — whether we like it or not — because that’s what we have been doing for centuries.

Introduce us to Nuet. How did Nuet get started?

I started Nuet late 2018 simply because I thought it was a shame that whilst lots of other national spirits were becoming increasingly popular around the world, aquavit remained a Scandi secret. It was clear to me why this was the case, as traditional aquavit is an acquired taste, very spicy and strong. So it’s not for everyone, and I’m personally not a fan of [traditional aquavit] myself. But the potential in aquavit as a spirit is huge, as you can really play around with the flavours a lot. So I wanted to make an aquavit that was far fresher and smoother to drink than the traditional kind, an aquavit that could be enjoyed all year round all over the world — not just in Scandinavia during holiday celebrations. I wanted to make the best aquavit ever made. So that’s exactly what we did.

How is Nuet made?

Nuet is distilled on a copper still, low and slow in order to get the most out of the botanicals. The botanicals are also macerated for 24 hours before being placed in a vapour chamber in order to extract the most flavour out of them as possible. But the secret to Nuet is really about getting the balance just right, which is why we spent more than six months and had more than 100 test-distillings before we were happy with the final product. This is why we have focused on only one product, Nuet Dry Aquavit, unlike many other companies that launch new products right, left and centre. We focus on quality over quantity. And at the moment, each and every bottle is washed, filled, labelled and packed by hand. Our aquavit has the traditional caraway, which is sourced from beautiful Inderøy here in Norway, but it’s far more balanced than traditional aquavits. Also, we have removed traditional botanicals like fennel and anise seeds and replaced them with far fresher botanicals like grapefruit peel, blackcurrant and blackcurrant peel, amongst others. This makes Nuet Dry Aquavit fresh and complex with a very smooth aftertaste.

What is a drink that our readers can make at home with Nuet?

I would suggest simply replacing the gin with Nuet Dry Aquavit in any usually gin-based drink, like a G&T (add a slice of grapefruit), Martini or Negroni. But I have to highlight the Nuet Lemonade, which is our signature serve. It’s fresh and simple, yet sophisticated, and it’s perfect for both winter and summer. You’ll see it in most of the ski resorts around Norway this season, both in the classic and spritz form. There are plenty of nice recipes on our website, most of them with video tutorials, so I really recommend people to have a look there. We have our own “Nuet Homemade” series, which features easy-to-make cocktails at home. Perfect for lockdown life.

Why should those who love gin seek out Nuet?

Well, we were recently mentioned as “…the world’s first aquavit that serves as a proper premium gin substitute” by the London Spirits Competition, and when we developed the recipe for the Nuet Dry Aquavit, our two litmus tests were that it really needs to shine with tonic water and in a Martini. The reason for choosing those two cocktails was that there really is nowhere to “hide” in them. You need to use a proper quality spirit for them to taste good, as you cannot hide the taste behind other ingredients like pineapple liqueur and syrups of all sorts. This is a feat I believe no other aquavit has ever come close to — until we did it. So in our strive toward making the world’s best aquavit, we sort of just happened to make a great gin substitute as well, though that wasn’t our intention. Keep in mind that gin and aquavit is basically made the exact same way, just with different botanicals.

Why did you select this specific design aesthetic for Nuet?

We really wanted to create something timeless, premium and Scandinavian. So it needed to be simple and clean, and function would need to trump form, in line with Scandinavian design. It’s not a high-end vodka for the nightclubs, and it’s not something you shoot with Red Bull. It’s understated luxury. As for the name, the word “Nuet” means “the now” in Scandinavian, and that’s exactly what we want to share with the world. Our company mission is “to share Scandinavian moments with people all around the world through the best aquavit ever made”. And the rose logo is a symbol of timelessness, a bit like when you’re in that Nuet moment. It’s based on a Hardanger rose from the Norwegian folk outfit, the ‘bunad’, which we wear on our Constitution Day on the 17th of May and in weddings and other celebrations. I just find the bunad design so beautiful, and we really wanted something from there in our bottle design as well. So not only is it on our label, but the rose pattern is all over the bottle itself, which you can see when you have a look up close.

You also have an online blog and video series around Nuet. What insight do these blog posts and videos give to people about the Nuet experience?

In line with our mission to share Scandinavian moments with people all around the world, we focus a lot on producing written and video content about everything Scandinavian. We divide it into five categories; cuisine, culture, creative, outdoors and origins. Only the latter category touches upon aquavit and ourselves, so most of what we post online has nothing to do with spirits and us, but it has everything to do with Scandinavian cooking, design, lifestyle and traditions. We really want to give people a taste of Scandinavia, whether they have access to our product or not. We share this via Facebook, Instagram and through our mailing list, which people can subscribe to via our website. We have a weekly newsletter with a new story every week. We also share cocktail recipes there as well as promotions exclusive to our own webshop.

What are your plans for the future of Nuet?

We have a pretty clear mission and vision which is that we want Nuet to be synonymous with Scandinavian values and lifestyle, and [we want] our aquavit(s) all around the world some day. We will keep expanding our “Scandiverse” and focus on quality over quantity, though there are sure to be a few more products from us over the next few years. Hopefully I can enjoy a Nuet Lemonade anywhere from London to Tokyo in a few years time.