The whisky is made from Nordic barley, Pilsner malt and brewer’s yeast, with water sourced from a local spring which receives melted glacier water from the Lyngen alpine range. The whisky has been stored in sherry, virgin oak and bourbon casks, and matured for three years in underground storage vaults which were previously part of a network of tunnels in a Cold War NATO base.
Aurora Spirit Distillery has attracted international attention for its unusual location; situated far beyond the Article Circle in Norway, it is the world’s northernmost distillery, and has an award-winning visitor centre which offers guided tours for visitors.
Aurora Spirit will be releasing two limited edition whiskies each year as a collectable series, until they scale up whisky sales with their ‘standard’ Bivrost Whisky, which is estimated to be released in 2025. These collectable whiskies will be related to the nine worlds of Old Norse mythology; the first of these, Niflheim, means ‘world of fog’, and refers to the homeland of darkness, cold, mist, and ice.
Ancient Viking beliefs also lie behind the brand’s name. Bivrost, from the Old Norse ‘biv rost’, meaning ‘shaking path’, is more than 1000 years old, and was the name given to the northern lights by the Vikings who thought the lights were a magical bridge between the worlds.
Bivrost products are inspired by local herbs, berries and melted glacier water, and the new Niflheim whisky is described as being fruity and sweet on the nose. On the palate it balances sweetness, wood, and spice, with a long, sweet finish.
See https://www.bivrost.com/whisky/ for details.