Halle Smedegaard Distillery
About the distillery
Halle Smedegaard Distillery is located in the hills of central Jutland near Brædstrup and is a small Danish distillery focused on gin. Here they gather herbs in the forest, distil in small batches and hand-number each bottle. The site's smithing heritage and nature's raw materials are woven into the production and give the house a distinct local identity.
History
For more than 150 years the smithy's fire has burned at Halle Smedegaard in Bakkelandet, and the old smith is long gone, while the place still carries its history. Anders Thorsager is a trained smith, hunter and distiller, and he has rediscovered his own approach to distilling based on Halle Smedegaard. Together with Pernille Thorsager he gathers herbs from the forest edge and works in small runs, where each bottle is numbered by hand.
An important step came in April 2024, when the products were developed through a collaboration with Anders Bilgram from Nordisk Brænderi ApS in Fjerritslev. Here ideas and base recipes were created and later scaled, adjusted and produced in collaboration. The result is a distillery where the site's own story meets an experienced production partner, but where the herbs from the central Jutland forests and the local anchoring remain the starting point.
Ingredients and production
Production is based on herbs that Anders Thorsager forages in the nature surrounding the Halle Smedegaard estate in the central Jutland forests. These are base recipes and ideas developed with the place as a starting point, and the products are then scaled, adjusted and produced in collaboration with Nordisk Brænderi in Fjerritslev.
Distillation takes place on handmade Müller copper stills from the Black Forest in Germany. Work is done in small batches, and each bottle is hand-numbered. This creates a production where precision and limited volume are part of the workflow. The concrete details about mashing, fermentation and the further processing of the raw materials are not described, but the craft level is evident in the choice of apparatus, the manual numbering and the close connection between nature, recipe and distillation.
Maturation and cask types
There is no documented information about cask ageing, maturation barrels or experiments with wood. What stands out is the fresh gin production, where style and botanical details come before ageing. The focus is therefore on the distillate itself and on small batches rather than on maturation time and cask influence.
Whiskies
The range is centered on two London Dry Gin editions. Jarlen’s London Dry Gin is the house's steady and first pride, described as fresh and balanced with 7 botanicals, juniper, lemongrass and a subtle touch of spice. The Bowhunter London Dry Gin is a seasonal edition in limited release, created with fresh sweet cicely, 8 botanicals and a higher alcohol content at 47%. It is conceived as a more exclusive limited edition. Together they show a small range with a clear focus on classic gin and different botanical angles.
| Whisky | Type / serie | Alkohol | Smagsprofil | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jarlen’s London Dry Gin | Gin | 43 % | Husets første stolthed, en klassisk London Dry Gin med 7 botanicals og en frisk, afbalanceret profil.; Næse: Frisk og afbalanceret med noter af enebær, citrongræs og et subtilt strejf af krydderi.; Eftersmag: Fløjlsblød finish. | Aktuel; Kernesortiment; Webshop og forhandlere |
| The Bowhunter London Dry Gin | Gin | 47 % | En sæsonbetonet small batch gin i begrænset oplag med 8 botanicals og 47% alkohol.; Næse: Skabt med frisk sødskærm og inspireret af de midtjyske skove.; Smag: Klassisk London Dry med sødskærms delikate anispræg og naturlige sødme. | Begrænset; Begrænset oplag i webshoppen |
Style and flavour profile of the whiskies
The house style is classic London Dry, but with a clear Nordic botanical profile. Jarlen’s offers a fresh and balanced taste with juniper, lemongrass and a subtle touch of spice as well as a velvety-smooth finish. The Bowhunter focuses on sweet cicely, natural sweetness and light anise notes, taking the expression in a more seasonal direction. Together this gives an aromatic style where herbs and structure play closely together.
Visit the distillery
The distillery can be contacted directly, and there is the opportunity to meet the house at market days where you can taste gin. Gin tastings for events and happenings are also mentioned, and the products are sold both in the webshop and at retailers in Brædstrup. There is an address, email and phone, but no fixed opening hours or an actual visitor centre.
Philosophy and craft
Halle Smedegaard builds its identity on craftsmanship, quality and limited runs. No larger quantities are produced than necessary, and each product is hand-numbered. The distillery links its style to Halle Smedegaard's smithing heritage, herbs from the surrounding forests and a Nordic universe where precision and local anchoring are more important than volume.