Arctic Blue Nightwish Gin

In the North Karelian wilderness, a place bound up with the origins of Nightwish, Arctic Blue Beverages found the three botanicals that define this gin. Nightwish Gin, created with the Finnish symphonic metal band and launched in late 2024, uses rowan berriesRowanBerries of a mountain tree, bitter and tart.Glossary, spruce tips and chicory root, and is bottled at 48.2% in a 500 ml bottle.

Dry · Spicy · Herbal · Earthy

Each of the three has a distinct role. The rowan berries are picked after autumn's first frost, which mellows them from sharp to sweet, so they bring a red fruit note with a lingering acidity. Spruce tips, the young shoots of the tree, add a green, resinousResinousAn aroma reminiscent of pine or fir resin. It is juniper's signature, due to compounds such as pinene.Glossary freshness that sits naturally beside juniper. Chicory root closes the recipe with a dry, earthy and slightly bitter tone. The IWSC tasting note also picks out orange peel, cardamom and juniper, with a spicy juniper finish.

The strength matters for a recipe this spare. At 48.2%, spruce and chicory keep their outline after chilling and dilutionDilutionThe water added by melting ice. In the right amount it opens the aromas and softens the alcohol; too much flattens the drink.Glossary, the conifer note opening as the ice melts while the finish stays dry and quietly bitter. The gin is distilled in Ilomantsi, in North Karelia, and the collaboration earned a Gold Medal at the International Wine & Spirit Competition 2025. It is sold in Finland through Alko and distributed internationally with La Maison du Whisky. North Karelia lies on Finland's eastern border, and the three arctic botanicals are handpicked.

A light tonicLight tonicA low- or no-sugar tonic, often sweetened with substitutes. Drier, it brings out the bitterness and the gin.Glossary suits a gin that already carries plenty of character. The Naturally Light tonic from Fever-Tree, at 10 cl for 4 cl of gin, leaves room for the spruce, and large ice cubesLarge iceOne large block melts far more slowly than several small cubes, so the drink stays cold without watering down.Glossary keep the dilution slow. An orange peel brightens the top, and a few rowan berries repeat the fruit at the heart of the recipe. Keep the berries whole.