The world’s northernmost distillery, the Aurora Spirit Distillery in Norway, has sponsored the development of a symphony.
The maker of Bivorst whisky, which is named after the Viking work for the aurora borealis, Aurora Spirit requested that the symphony celebrate it’s Norse heritage.
The Vikings believed the natural light display was a bridge to the heavens. Composer Alexander Aarøen Pedersen was inspired by this legend, and created a symphony that tells the story of a Viking travelling across the Bivrost bridge, encountering the gods of Norse mythology along the way.
The 45-minute, eight-part symphony was written over the two years by Pederson, who has previously conducted and recorded work in Los Angeles. The composition, which was partially funded by Aurora Spirit, was then recorded with the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra in Tromsø, Norway, in spring 2019.
Pour yourself a drink and check out a sample of the symphony below:
Last year, Aurora Spirit Distillery launched Bivrost Niflheim – Arctic Single Malt Whisky, the world’s northernmost Whisky. The brand spent three years producing the spirit.
Made from Nordic barley, Pilsner malt and brewer’s yeast, with water sourced from a local spring which receives melted glacier water from the Lyngen Alps, the Whisky has been stored in sherry, virgin oak and bourbon casks, and matured for three years in underground storage vaults. The vaults were previously part of a network of tunnels in a Cold War NATO base.
Aurora Spirited Distillery is situated in Norway far beyond the Arctic Circle and is the world’s northernmost distillery. It has an award-winning visitors center that offers guided tours.
The brand plans to release two limited edition whiskies annually as a collectable series, until they scale up whisky sales with their ‘standard’ Bivrost Whisky, which they expect to be released in 2025. The collectible series will feature whiskies related to the nine worlds of Old Norse mythology. The first release will be Niflheim, which means ‘world of fog’, and refers to the homeland of darkness, cold, mist, and ice.
For more information, head over to the official website.