Bivrost Idunn 50cl Whisky

Earliest Shipping Date: 4th November.

Bivrost Idunn gives you plenty to get your teeth into with five types of wine cask, a little mezcal influence and an unusually involved approach to fermentation. This Arctic single malt is the second instalment in the Æsir series, a planned collection of six limited releases exploring different yeast strains, barley types and cask selections. Each whisky is intended to have its own distinct character, with the Viking spear serving as the series’ symbol, inspired by Odin’s unfailing Gungnir.

Idunn is made at Aurora Spirit Distillery at 69°N in Arctic Norway, using Nordic Pilsener malt from Planet and Popino barley, Frutopia malt and the classic English variety Maris Otter. Water is drawn from Elvejordvannet, which receives glacial meltwater from the Lyngen Alps. The yeast selection spans traditional Norwegian kveik cultures from Standa, Tormodgarden and Framgarden farms, propagated in-house; a historic English ale strain from a well-known, now-closed Manchester brewery; and lager yeast, Saccharomyces pastorianus, fermented warm to encourage fruity ester development.

The component spirits were distilled between 2018 and 2021 in Aurora Spirit’s copper pot/column still with two active plates. Distillation runs lasted approximately eight to ten hours, with the hearts collected at around 75% ABV. Maturation lasted between five and eight years in the distillery’s modern Viking longhouse, in an Arctic climate with an average annual temperature of approximately 0.6°C and substantial seasonal variation.

The cask recipe combines California red wine, Tinto, Muscat, Premier Cru Bordeaux and Sauternes, alongside a smaller mezcal component. California red wine brings blackberry and plum, with Tinto adding further red and dark fruit. The name honours Idunn, the Norse goddess of youth and renewal, whose golden apples kept the gods young. Wife of the poet-god Bragi, she was abducted by the giant Thjazi, leaving the gods to age until Loki returned her to Asgard. Her association with fruit makes her a fitting namesake for this particular cask selection. Norwegian artist and tattooist Jannicke Wiese-Hansen created the artwork, depicting Idunn with a basket of golden apples in her distinctive woodcarving-inspired style.