Søhøjlandets Distillery

About the distillery

Søhøjlandets Distillery is located in Sejs-Svejbæk near Silkeborg and is a Danish small-batch distillery focusing on gin, aquavit and whisky. Production is closely tied to hand-hammered copper pot stills, and visitors can get up close to the work in the distillery through tastings and events. The story begins in 2020, and since then the range has steadily grown with both classic and more experimental releases.

History

Søhøjlandets Distillery was founded in January 2020 by an initial team of six people with a shared ambition to produce high-quality Danish spirits in the central Jutland highlands. Already in March of the same year it became clear that the path forward would not be straightforward: an old, dilapidated workshop in the heart of Sejs-Svejbæk had to be renovated and rebuilt before the dream could become reality.

In June 2020 the distillery's first pot still arrived directly from a tradition-minded copper still smith in Portugal, and in October the first batch of gin ran off the still after reconstruction, permits and many tests. The first bottle, New Nordic Dry Gin, followed in November 2020 as an interpretation of London Dry Gin. In 2021 the house expanded with Nordic Blueberry Gin and Barrel Aged Gin, and in 2022 both Nuts & Barrels and Nordic Elderflower Gin were added. In December 2022 the first whisky was put into casks, and in November 2023 Nordisk Dild Akvavit was released as another new chapter in the story.

Ingredients and production

Production is centered around hand-hammered copper pot stills, which also frame the tastings visitors experience in the distillery. The text describes the distillation as craft-driven and provides insight into a process where the distillery itself emphasizes unique methods in gin production. For gin the house works with small handcrafted batches, and several expressions are built on clearly defined botanicals such as juniper, citrus, blueberry, elderflower, strawberry, rhubarb and dill.

Private-label work is also a part of the business: customers can have their own gin with custom label design, and flexibility extends from label and paper type to bottle type and closure. Whisky is only sparsely described in the material, but the one release points to collaboration with distilleries in different regions of Denmark and to maturation in bourbon casks. There is therefore more concrete basis to understand the distillery as a gin- and flavor-driven house with whisky as a newer strand rather than as a fully developed whisky distillery.

Maturation and cask types

Cask maturation is mainly used in the distillery's aged gins. Barrel Aged Gin is first on selected oak casks and then on ex-whisky casks, while Nuts & Barrels is a special edition in the same style, infused with hazelnuts and also matured on selected oak casks. The whisky product Crafted Danish Malt Composition is matured on carefully selected bourbon casks, giving a round and soft profile with fruity and floral tones and an elegant finish. The material shows a clear interest in letting the wood and previous cask contents contribute character, without going into detail about longer maturation periods or storage conditions.

Whiskies

The core range revolves around gin in several expressions. New Nordic Dry Gin is the house interpretation of the London Dry style, while Nordic Blueberry Gin, Nordic Elderflower Gin and Summerly Gin are built respectively on blueberry, elderflower and strawberry & rhubarb. Hjejleselskabet's Gin was developed in collaboration with Hjejleselskabet and adheres to a clean, local London Dry profile. In addition there are Barrel Aged Gin and Nuts & Barrels for those who want more cask character, as well as Nordisk Dild Akvavit as a newer expression in the range. The whisky track is still very small, but Crafted Danish Malt Composition marks a clear step into the category.

Whisky styles and flavor profile

Across the products there is a clear through-line of juniper, citrus and fresh fruit. New Nordic Dry Gin is described with a hint of citrus and an intense, floral aroma, while Nordic Blueberry Gin builds on juniper and blueberry with citrus, pine and soft fruit notes in the tasting notes. Nordic Elderflower Gin brings citrus and elderflower around juniper, and Summerly Gin draws on strawberry and rhubarb. In the barrel-aged expressions vanilla, oak notes and a more rounded character emerge, while Hjejleselskabet's Gin sits with a clean profile of juniper, citrus, spices and floral nuances.

Visit the distillery

The distillery can be visited for tastings in the distillery itself, and the events take place up close to the hand-hammered copper pot stills. A typical tasting lasts about 1 hour and 15 minutes and features 5 carefully selected gins with tonics as well as an additional tasting surprise. There are limited places, and private tastings for groups as well as tastings at guests' locations are also arranged. The distillery is open by appointment, and gin can be purchased to take home after the tastings.

The stated opening hours are Open by appointment.

Philosophy and craftsmanship

Søhøjlandets Distillery works from the desire to make high-quality Danish spirits with a clear local anchoring and great variation in taste. Emphasis is placed on small handcrafted batches, award-winning gin and a willingness to experiment with new flavor variations. At the same time flexibility plays a large role, because the distillery also offers private-label solutions where customers can influence both design and expression.

Awards and recognitions

• Europe Trophy silver medal (2021, Silver, New Nordic Dry Gin)

• IWSC silver (2022, Silver, New Nordic Dry Gin)

• IWSC bronze (2022, Bronze, Nordic Blueberry Gin)

• IWSC bronze (2022, Bronze, Nuts & Barrels Gin)

• Denmark Gin Distillery of the Year (2023, Winner)

Latest news

Nordisk Dild Akvavit launched – 2023-11-01

In November 2023 the distillery launched its Nordisk Dild Akvavit, distilled on hand-hammered copper pot stills with dill and fresh lemons.

Søhøjlandets Daiquiri – 2024-01-03

A blog post describes a cocktail made with Nordisk Dild Akvavit with lime juice and simple syrup, served as a fresh pre-dinner drink.