Vidda Norwegian Gin

Norwegian wood.

With the last operational distillery in Norway acquired in 1927 by the State Wine Monopoly, the tradition of local, independent distilling seemed to have met certain doom -- but the Oslo Handverkdestilleri (OHD) were having none of that. Established in 2015 by Marius Vestnes and Marcin Miller, partnered with Martin Krajewski, this distillery’s aim was to reinstate the long lost distilling tradition, with emphasis on unique, locally grown or foraged botanicals from the Norwegian forests and meadows. And with a colorful, international team of dedicated experts, they are doing exactly that.

With VIDDA, a 43% ABV Gin, the Norse peoples have once more decided to claim something British for themselves. Inspired by a hike in the Norwegian mountains, the team decided to come up with a mountain gin that would fully display the richness and variety of the intense, short growing seasons of the locally picked spices and herbs such as juniper, chamomile, pine shoots, elderflower, calamus, and heather.

The plants are then macerated for at least 12 hours in a neutral spirit base before the distillation begins, and the result is a delicately balanced interpretation of the British dry Gin that can transport you to the middle of a majestic pine forest with one sip.