Bluewater Organic Distilling, the Pacific Northwest small-batch distillery known for its copper-distilled Bluewater Organic Vodka and Halcyon Organic Distilled Gin, has announced the launch of Wintersun Organic Aquavit—which the distillery says is the first certified organic Aquavit in America.

John Lundin, Bluewater’s founder and head distiller chose to honor his Swedish heritage by creating the finest expression of traditional Aquavit. Staying true to the Scandinavian spirit’s classic roots, Wintersun blends 100 percent copper-distilled grain spirit with a balanced aromatic profile of caraway, aniseed and orange peel.

The 80-proof spirit was developed for creative mixology, while also focusing intently on enjoyment as a straight spirit. Bluewater’s flagship distillery at the Everett, Washington waterfront is home to their renowned craft cocktail bar that features Wintersun Aquavit in a variety of cocktails, such as “Nordic Fire,” a lush and spicy craft cocktail made with Wintersun Organic Aquavit, pineapple, sage, lemon, ghost pepper tincture, mezcal and spicy black lava salt. As inviting as that sounds, Bluewater also offers Thor’s Hammer, an ice-cold shot of Wintersun Aquavit.

“I wanted to craft an approachable Aquavit that would invite sipping, and introduce new palates to this intriguing and storied spirit. As the recipe evolved over several years, we began to surprise ourselves with how incredibly versatile Aquavit can be in craft cocktails,” says Lundin. “At our distillery bar, I love how our mixologists explore everything from sparkling wine drinks to cucumber gimlets to variations of old favorites like corpse revivers, Wintersun brings a new, exciting dimension to these drinks.”

To celebrate the launch of Wintersun, the distillery’s flagship Bar + Bistro will also serve traditional Nordic dishes and a variety Aquavit cocktails, including “The Old Norseman” (aquavit, bourbon + bitters), “Winter Mule” (aquavit, ginger beer + grapefruit), and “The Expedition,” an exclusive cocktail made with Bluewater’s Bering Sea Barrel Expedition where the distillery dispatched a cask of Aquavit to voyage the King Crab fishing grounds of Alaska aboard the F/V Wizard of Deadliest Catch fame.

Wintersun Organic Aquavit is currently available for wholesale through Vinum Importing. Consumers can shop direct at the distillery and online at www.bluewaterdistilling.com or purchase bottles and cocktails through Washington’s finest local retailers and restaurants (MSRP $36.50 / 750mL).

Sustainability is a core foundation to Bluewater’s mission and Wintersun continues the distillery’s industry-leading commitment of souring 100% organic ingredients, supporting American-made packaging, and contributing a portion of sales to environmental conservation via their 1% for the Planet membership.