Gjoleid Praksis 1.1 Norwegian Whisky Review

By Michael Cervin

Rating: B

When you think of Norway, you think Vikings, conquest, and perhaps their national drink aquavit. The Vikings didn’t drink whisky, which traces its origins to the late 1500’s, long after the last longship filled with Norsemen looking to trade or pillage set sail out of fjord.

Yet whiskey and aquavit are both distilled from grain, aquavit dating to the late 1400s. So, you can reasonably make the argument that an amateur form of whisky has been available in Norway and the Scandinavian countries for hundreds of years but, sadly, not for he Vikings. They petered out before 1100, and most historians believe they consumed beer and mead anyhow.

Skipping ahead several hundred years, Norway’s Gjoleid Praksis 1.1 has been released, with just 1,000 bottles produced. This is one of two first releases from spirits giant Arcus, Norway’s largest producer and supplier of wine and liquor.

The company was created when it was forced to de-merge from the state-owned wine and liquor behemoth, retailer Vinmonopolet. The split was a result of a European free trade agreement ruling and the result was retail operations stayed with in Vinmonopolet, while the import, export, production and storage operations were transferred to Arcus, who still produces more aquavit than anyone else in Norway. Ostensibly they are the same company, but Arcus has rebranded itself.

Their first whiskey launched only in December 2013 so they are still new to the game, however they show immense promise. The distillery is located about 20 kilometers northeast of Oslo and the Gjoleid line is difficult to find outside of Norway. Yes, it’s an anomaly, but it also holds a great amount of potential. Arcus is notoriously tight lipped about their production, therefore specific information is hard to come by.

The Whisky
There is a light char on the barrels, given this was one of their first efforts, but this accomplishes something unique, a newer-to-the-market whisky that doesn’t smother its various notes in oak and cedar.

Color: Light in color.

Nose: You’re immediately struck by fresh cut apples, dabbled with cinnamon, candied resin and cedar.

Palate: In terms of body weigh, this registers as light to medium, with a slight oily viscosity. Browned-butter caramel, honeysuckle, lightly spicy ginger, some vanilla, and a salt-water taffy note run through this whiskey. There’s a mild bite in the mid palette and it offers a medium to long finish, resonating in the mouth with a wee bit of burn.

This is a dependable whiskey though it’s still young and it’s no surprise this is a first iteration. Time will tell if Gjoleid decides to spend a little more time to properly finish and age their younger whiskies.

The Price
Assuming you can still find this, the 1.1 will run you an appealing $45 US, however, given its limited status you should expect to pay more.