Altia opens aquavit distillery in Sweden

Finnish drinks group Altia has opened a new aquavit distillery in Sundsvall, Sweden, called O.P. Anderson Distillery.

Altia will move all Aquavit production to Sundsvall, Sweden

Altia will move all of its aquavit production to the distillery, which will produce the flagship O.P. Anderson Aquavit brand, as well as Skåne Aquavit, Gammal Norrlands Aquavit, Hallands Fläder and Bäska Droppar.

O.P. Anderson Distillery will be operated in collaboration with pharmaceutical company Unimedic and will encompass spice distillation, spice extraction, blending and maturation of Swedish aquavit.

“Everything having to do with flavour will be done at the O.P. Anderson Distillery,” said Jonas Odland, master blender at Altia. “Gathering everything in one place is a great advantage in terms of experimentation. Here we can experiment with new flavours and invest in creativity and innovation.”

Among other sites, Altia will move aquavit production and maturation from Vin & Sprit’s old factory in Åhus, Skåne to Sundsvall. A “large number” of oak barrels previously used to mature Cognac, Scotch and Sherry and a selection of brandy finishing barrels will be transported north.

“The heart of production is our three distillation pots,” added Odland. “We have acquired real copper pots, which were central to the original method for making aquavit. Previously we used stainless steel pots but now we have chosen to return to traditional methods instead.

“The challenge for me as master blender has consisted of getting the spiced spirits to taste the same with this equipment as with the old equipment.”

Last month, Altia adopted a new responsibility programme called Let’s Drink Better in an effort to positively influence drinking culture across the Nordics.