Oslo distillery launches with Marka Nordic bitters

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 25 January, 2016

Oslo Håndverksdestilleri (OHD), the first distillery to open in Norway since 1927, has announced the launch of its first product.

Marka is a distinctively Nordic digestive bitter blended from 16 botanicals, including dandelion, bog myrtle and angelica root.

After blending the spirit is allowed to rest and mellow in oak barrels for several months.

Marka is named for the largely pristine Nordmarka forest which surrounds Oslo, although it is also a Nordic term for the 'outdoors'.

Martin Tønder Smith, OHD's blender, said: "There have been many trips out to the woods during this process. We are proud to create a product that is based solely on locally-foraged ingredients. "This is something completely different to the dark and heavy drink that most Norwegians associate with bitter."

Ryan Chetiyawardana, the award-winning bartender and owner of White Lyan and Dandelyan, said: "I'm very excited to see Marka hit our shores; a potable bitters coming out of Oslo, using a wealth of indigenous, hand-foraged botanicals, including native angelica - Scandinavia's gift to the botanical brigade.

"Lovely earthy bitterness with great structure making it ideal neat and for mixing."

OHD logo

Marka is currently being produced at the Ægir brewery while construction of OHD is completed.

Situated in the the Bryn area of Oslo, OHD is planned to be operational by June.

Marcin Miller, co-founder of OHD, said: "Our new distillery will aim to capture the culture and traditions of this special country in a profound way, initially with Marka, then with a Norwegian gin and an akevitt."

Dave Gardonio, OHD's master distiller, said: "Developing Marka was a mission statement for the future direction of the company and our passion. Having worked with spirits for some time, we wished to start our own distillery. We wanted to bring through what we loved into our own expressions."

MARKA has an abv of 35%. It is available in 50 cl bottles and retails at £28.99.

Contact marcin@oslohd.no for more details.

Printer friendly version