Iceland's National Drink (2024)

FAQs

What is the national drink of Iceland? ›

Brennivín is Iceland's traditional distilled spirit and is a type of flavoured spirit that is popular among the Scandinavian countries, called aquavit or akvavit. Brennivín is made from fermented grain or potato mash; however, it is flavoured with caraway or dill.

It is considered to be a type of aquavit and bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof). The steeping of herbs in alcohol to create schnapps is a long-held folk tradition in Nordic countries, and Brennivín is still the traditional drink for the mid-winter feast of Þorrablót.

History. In a 1908 referendum, Icelanders voted in favour of a ban on all alcoholic drinks, going into effect 1 January 1915. In 1921, the ban was partially lifted after Spain refused to buy Iceland's main export, fish, unless Iceland bought Spanish wines.

What does Brennivín taste like? Like many of Icelander's food and drink related obsessions, it has a liquorice or anise kind of taste with caraway and cumin flavor as well. It has a very strong taste and not everyone's a fan. People don't really sip it for the pleasure of it, but more as part of tradition and novelty.

Brennivín

Brennivín (a.k.a the black death), a clear and unsweetened Icelandic schnapps with a 37.5% alcohol content, is considered the national drink of Iceland. The very name "Brennivín" translates to "burning wine," and it is typically served cold as a shot, alongside a beer, or as a base for various co*cktails.

Chai: India's National Drink.

In the year 2022, almost a quarter of Icelanders fell under the definition of having a harmful consumption pattern of alcohol, or risk consumption (27 per cent of men and 21 per cent of women 18 years and older). In 2021, the ratio was 25 per cent among men and 20 among women.

Independence of Iceland

Denmark has historically been seen as a beer-drinking country with beer-drinking people, and Iceland sought to remove itself from this now officially foreign culture. Whether political or a more social movement, Iceland wanted to step out of Denmark's shadow.

This is quite similar to the distillation process of vodka, but the main difference is that while vodka is an unflavored spirit, the signature taste of brennivin comes from the caraway seeds used, which give it its signature cumin flavor.

Iceland, like many countries, went through a period of prohibition. In 1915 a total ban on wine, beer and spirits was voted by a majority of 60%. Seven years later the ban on wine was lifted and in 1935 the ban on spirits was lifted. But, for some reason, beer was banned until 1989.

Can you drink tap water in Iceland? ›

Yes, the water is safe to drink in Iceland. Unless marked otherwise, tap water is considered safe, and because of where it comes from, you know you're getting it in its purest form. Nearly all of Iceland's tap water is sourced from groundwater – stored deep in wells under the earth's surface.

In some towns the stores have shorter opening hours and there is no service on Sundays. The legal drinking age in Iceland is 20 years old. To buy alcohol in the Vínbúð, in bars or restaurant you have to provide proof of age with photo ID for example, driver's license or passport.

Secondly, we know Brennivin as the “Black Death” because its consumption has caused many “deaths” or people passing out by drinking too much. Brennivin “aquavit” has an alcohol percentage of 37.5%; therefore, the consumption should be moderate, especially if you do shots.

Kaldi Blonde

Kaldi Blonde is the most popular bottled beer in Iceland, and it is little wonder why. Brewed in the Pilsner tradition and inspired by Czech lager, it is a coppery, golden color with a smooth texture and tantalizing, bitter taste from the roasted malt.

Iceland's national dish is Hákarl, a fermented shark dish. The sharks are usually Greenland sharks, and their meat is poisonous unless it's been fermented. The whole fermentation process takes between 5 and 6 months and involves the shark meat hanging and curing.

In the year 2022, almost a quarter of Icelanders fell under the definition of having a harmful consumption pattern of alcohol, or risk consumption (27 per cent of men and 21 per cent of women 18 years and older).

The original Icelandic Schnapps. There are two reasons why Brennivin is well known as the “Black Death”. First of all, because of its peculiar black label. It was designed to make the drink unappealing so people would not drink too much of it (good luck with that), and then the original label distinction was a skull.

Independence of Iceland

After years of being under Danish rule, Iceland truly became independent in the 1900s. Denmark has historically been seen as a beer-drinking country with beer-drinking people, and Iceland sought to remove itself from this now officially foreign culture.