Valhalla Nordic Herbal Liqueur
Koskenkorva · 2016 · Finland
| Region: | Helsinki |
| ABV: | 35% |
| Style: | Herbal liqueur |
| Price: | € 25 |
If you are from a cold country — a really cold country —there are a few things you know to be true. Going outside is to go somewhere, it's not a destination in itself. Layers are your only true friend in the world. Vitamin D comes from supplements (or fatty fish is life). And, when all else fails, you drink herbal liqueurs to stay fuzzy, warm and happy.
Herbal liqueur has a long, beautiful tradition in many of the colder countries, We are not talking about the amaro-type drinks of the same family they have in sun-spoilt countries such as Italy, ending up in lovely, citrus'y drinks celebrating ever-summer. We are talking about dark, herbal and heavy, such as Jägermeister and Underberg (Germany), Becherovka (Czech Republic), Unicum (Hungary) and Gorki List (Serbia). They typify as spiced liqueurs (generally by macerating herbs and spices in alcohol) with a relatively high invert sugar content. This gives them a herbal, sometimes bitter, yet neat-drinkable flavour.
Today we are looking at a herbal liqueur from Finland called Valhalla. Visting their website you might be tricked into thinking it is in fact not a drink, but rather a Nordic remake of a J.R.R. Tolkien work. But once you've dug through the photos of all the burly men in helmets walking through the snow, the message is clear: this is a "Herb Shot — For True Warriors". The (marketing) goal Valhalla seems to have is to compete directly with Jägermeister and their culture, but at both a higher flavour profile and higher price point.
Silly as we are, we will not be following up on Koskenkorva distillery's advice, as we will be sipping Valhalla neat and at room temperature. Don't worry though: we're trained experts at doing this. Will Valhalla be as grand as the name suggests, or is it just yet another regional Jägermeister clone?
Appearance
The appearance is syrupy brown. A typical colour one would expect from an Italian amaro. The viscosity seems lower, though. No legs are shown in the glass. The liquid has a dark center, but the outer rim is much lighter.
Nose
Smelling it gives an whiff of licorice that grows into anise, immediately followed by more-complex herbal flavours of oregano, sage and nettle. It smells sweet like a caramalised brown sugar with molasses. At the end a tiny bit of honey and some hazelnut appear.
Palate
The licorice and anise take center stage again. Some gentian on the tongue, followed by a very faint peppermint. For just an instant it seems to be like Fernet Branca, but then it immediately changes. The sweetness builds up to off-dry, but is neatly contained by the herbal tones and orange zestiness. Very contained levels of alcohol.
Thoughts
It was very hard not to compare it to Jägermeister from the get-go. They are both herbal liqueurs, with comparable colours. They both call forth cold nights, taking shots to stay warm. And they both have an underlying complexity one might not immediately expect.
The similarities sort of end there, however. When not drinking the two spirits side-by-side, one could be fooled into thinking one is the other (on a very drunken night, at least). The differences are vast, however. Valhalla seems to survive as a 'sipper' much more easily than Jägermeister, due to its seemingly-delicated balance of sweetness and herbs. The herbalness drives the complexity forward, whilst the sweetness keeps everything enjoyable.
But this is immediately its greatest weakness. Valhalla is just a tad too sweet. It's somewhat understandable why they decided on this when compared directly to Jägermeister, as the alcohol in Valhalla is much less noticeable than in Jägermeister. But one cannot help to think of vodka producers adding sugar to their 'neutral' grain spirit for the exact same purpose. And because of it, Jägermeister comes off as a drier spirit, but more alcoholic.
But let us forget about the stag in the room for now: Valhalla is a fascinating drink in its own right for anyone interested in a herbal liqueur that hits all the right notes, but in a melody all of its own. The possibilities for cocktails seem numerous as well. High(er) sugar content has never been an enemy of cocktails, nor is this liqueur afraid of a little cold. When sipping it neat, I'd think I was drinking from an an absinthe-washed glass If I didn't know any better, And by combining it with the right other spirits the herbal notes come out beautifully. Considering leaving your D.O.M. Benedictine behind for this once in a while. Or build upon entirely new concepts with this outspoken liqueur.
Tried from a Glencairn glass (see photo).