Aalborg Nordguld

Nose: Pine needles, orange, caraway, and anise. It’s a rather subtle and calm aroma, but nicely integrated, offering a well-balanced blend of scents with a focus on citrus. Palate: Mildly sweet and spicy with a hint of white pepper, citrus oil, caraway, and a touch of anise. There's also a little vanilla present, but it's faint and fleeting. The texture is acceptable but unremarkable. Finish: Medium/short. It fades relatively quickly, leaving a slight tingle of pepper (or coriander?) and baking spices against a light sweetness. I acquired this a few days ago while recalling the aquavits I had in Norway last year, but this is a different kind of spirit. I had previously heard there's a distinction between Danish and Norwegian aquavit, and now I understand. You could describe this as elegant and refined if you wanted to be generous, but equally, you could call it thin. It definitely has a less complex palate than any Norwegian aquavit I tasted. This particular expression, meaning “Northern Gold,” includes amber as a flavoring, which is quite unusual and explains the name. I do detect a very faint pine-needle quality on the nose and palate, which I assume is the amber. It’s not unpleasant at all, and I’ll happily finish the bottle, but I won’t purchase it again. “Average”: 79/100 (2.75 stars)