Unique Whisky Warehouse Opened In The Arctic with Aurora Spirit Distillery

Aurora Spirit, the worlds northernmost distillery, is pleased to announce the completion of their new warehouse, situated at 69 degrees north in Arctic Norway. The distillery already uses ex NATO / WW2 bunkers to mature its spirits underground, however the new warehouse is situated above ground to deliberately face more exposure to the Arctic elements.

The design is based on a modern Viking longhouse, constructed in massive wood by local builders on solid rock foundations. Temperatures can be extreme in the Arctic with winters to minus 17 and summers, although short lived, peaking just above 20 degrees. A unique feature of the warehouse is the turf roof, harping back to traditional Viking / Norwegian buildings, this not only looks good but has a very practical use. The turf, planted with local grasses and wild flowers, protects the building from the direct sunlight in the summer and insulates the building in the winter.

The inside is almost cathedral-like with strong arches from floor to ceiling supporting the structure; subtle and atmospheric lighting also adds to the experience. The design is not only based on efficient and effective maturation temperatures and air flow for the casks, but also designed to be a unique visitor experience. There is ample safe access to view the casks, take in the atmosphere and smell the aroma of maturing whisky.

The tasting zone has displays of the casks used and an intimate bar area to relax and taste some exclusive distillery whiskies or enjoy a dram drawn directly from the cask. Again this area is constructed in wood using recycled offcuts from the construction, old casks and staves. Inside the warehouse is now filling up, there are some unique single casks and a vast amount of experimental maturation going on. Lurking in corners you may find some Sauterne casks, Mezcal, Rum, Rye, Madeira and many others.