On 15 June 1219, legend has it, a cloth fell from the sky above a Danish army in Estonia and turned a battle that was slipping away. The cloth became Dannebrog, the Danish flag. This vodka is distilled on the very ground where it was all supposed to have happened.
Expert description
Dannebrog Vodka 1219 is an Estonian Vodka from Remedia in Tallinn, distilled five times from 100% Estonian winter wheat and bottled at 40%.
The Battle of Lyndanisse took place in 1219 under Valdemar II, and the site is Tallinn today. The city's name is generally traced back to the Estonian Taani-linn, meaning Danish castle. The link between Denmark and Estonia therefore sits in the name of the city itself, long before anybody thought of distilling vodka out of the history.
Remedia calls the bottle an Ultra-Premium Small Batch Vintage Vodka. Behind the words sits something concrete: the grain is 100% Estonian winter wheat, the distillation runs five times, and production happens in small portions, with each bottling carrying its own year.
The texture is pale and clear, and this is a vodka where the spice gets the upper hand over the sweetness. The bottle is kept in a taut, almost sober design with nothing trying to convince anybody, and the litre format makes it the sort of bottle you set out when people are coming.
Tasting notes
Nose
Clean and dryly grainy with a faint thread of aniseed. There is no harshness worth mentioning.
Palate
Light and dry with the fine sweetness of wheat. Fennel and aniseed appear mid-palate, and a clear press of pepper sits underneath the lot.
Finish
Medium with a neat warmth. Aniseed, fennel and pepper hold on while the grain withdraws.
Specifications
Name: Dannebrog Vodka 1219
Distillery: Remedia
Region/Country: Tallinn, Estonia
Type: Estonian Vodka
ABV: 40%
Size: 100 CL
Distillation method: Distilled five times, small batch
EAN no.: 5712421120018
Serving suggestion: Ice cold in a small glass alongside herring, rye bread and something pickled.
Flavour profile
Dry · Spiced · Aniseed and fennel · Clean close
Did you know?
Dannebrog is regarded as the oldest national flag still in use. The legend of 1219 was first written down several centuries after the battle, yet it has held up so well that it can still sell a bottle of vodka in Estonia.
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