The water in this bottle waited in the dark for thousands of years while the world above changed seasons over and over. Beneath the seabed by Hestur in the Faroe Islands, deep inside the rock where the Sandoy tunnel was blasted through, the construction crew hit a pocket of crystal clear fresh water, filtered through stone and shut away from sun and salt. Faer Isles Distillery in Vestmanna heard the story and decided to distil it.
Expert description
North Atlantic Subsea Vodka is a Faroese Vodka from Faer Isles Distillery, distilled using water drawn 140 metres below the surface of the North Atlantic and bottled at 41.7%.
The water was found by accident when the contractor NCC drilled the Sandoy tunnel between two of the Faroese islands. A member of the project team had the idea of passing the water on to the distillery, and tests quickly showed it was a thing apart: mineral rich, clean and with a character clearly different from ordinary Faroese rainwater. After its journey through the rock layers the water has picked up minerals that now leave their mark on the taste.
To the finished vodka the distillery adds a small amount of distilled seaweed from the surrounding waters. That brings a nutty trace and a floral streak playing against the lightly saline base note from the water. It is a deliberate choice from a distillery unafraid to let the raw material speak.
Faer Isles Distillery was founded by whisky enthusiasts in Vestmanna and funded through crowdfunding with backers in more than 20 countries. Alongside the whisky still maturing in cask they make gin, akvavit and this vodka. Since launch Subsea Vodka has taken gold at the Vodka Masters in the Super Premium category and gold at the IWSC.
Tasting notes
Nose
Quiet and cautious rather than sharp. A trace of spice sits beneath a clean mineral core, and a faint salty breath reminds you where the water comes from.
Palate
Round and full without turning heavy. A light sweetness at the start gives way quickly to a pointed peppery warmth, and the seaweed reads as a discreet nutty layer under the minerality.
Finish
Long and warm with a persistent spiciness that builds rather than fades. This is the kind of close you come back to.
Specifications
Name: North Atlantic Subsea Vodka
Distillery: Faer Isles Distillery
Region/Country: Vestmanna, Faroe Islands
Type: Faroese Vodka
ABV: 41.7%
Size: 50 CL
Distillation method: Distilled using water from a reservoir below the seabed, with distilled seaweed added
EAN no.: 5744002540076
Serving suggestion: Ice cold from the freezer in a small glass, or in a Moscow Mule where the salinity plays against the ginger.
Flavour profile
Mineral · Floral · Spiced · Full bodied
Did you know?
Faer Isles Distillery calls itself the most remote distillery in the world, and it sells casks to private buyers. Those buyers come from more than 20 countries, and plenty of them have never set foot on the Faroe Islands yet still own a cask drawing in salt air at Vestmanna.
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