Barrels and casks are mainly used now for giving taste and body to both wine and spirits. For certain types of spirit, e.g.
Norwegian aquavit, whisky and cognac, maturing in barrels is an essential part of the production process
For two centuries Norwegian ships have transported Linie aquavit in sherry casks around the world. The brand itself dates
back to 1821, making Linie one of the oldest brands in the world still in sale
Many brands from the old Norwegian distilleries still exist today, and are produced on the basis of the original recipes.
Some of these have existed ever since the beginning of the 19th century
Spirits production in Norway dates back to the 16th century, when the virtuous men of the cloth made the first attempts at
distillation. The distilled spirit was considered to be medicinal - "aqua vitae" - the water of life that provided relief
and cure for most diseases
The potato swiftly took over the role of grain in producing spirits in Norway, not least because of the fact that from any
given patch of ground one could produce four times more spirit from potatoes than from corn!