The bountiful wilderness of Norway and its compacted, intense growing seasons are the inspiration behind the new dry gin from Norwegian craft distillery Oslo Händverksdestilleri (OHD), VIDDA TØrr. Crafted from aromatic and vibrantly-flavored botanicals foraged from Norway’s countryside, VIDDA means ‘mountain plateau’ and this craft gin brilliantly embodies the flavors and fresh scents of the Norwegian mountains.
Local ingredients like heather, juniper, chamomile, yarrow, meadowsweet, and angelica root create an intriguing yet balanced flavor profile that caused respected gin reviewer Gin Monkey to comment, “Close your eyes as you drink and you could be standing in the middle of a pine forest with wild flowers at your feet. I enjoy it more every time I taste it.”
Co-founder Marius Vestnes agrees; when discussing VIDDA’s origins Vestnes explains: “The idea for VIDDA came from a trip to my cabin, which is illustrated on the bottle; it is where my family and I go to enjoy the pure air, the peace and quiet—our little piece of heaven, if you like. For me, our gin succeeds in capturing the essence of the mountainscapes and what it means to be Norwegian.”
OHD is kind of like the proud independent record store of the distilling world, with a dedication to return to local and independent distillation methods and traditions that had been largely neglected since the State Wine Monopoly took over the last operational distillery in Norway in 1927. VIDDA TØrr is the perfect gin to represent the fiercely independent and passionate spirit of Norway as well as the bounty of its land.
