Bareksten Botanical Norwegian Gin
Bareksten · OS Craft Distillery
Bareksten is a masterclass in how grain character and botanical architecture can work in tandem to create directional texture—each sip reveals a new layer without losing its compass heading. It's serious enough for contemplative sipping yet structured enough to anchor any cocktail. A quiet Nordic powerhouse that rewards patience and attention.
Nose
Opens with a dense, resinous juniper that immediately recalls damp Nordic forest floor. Behind the evergreen curtain, delicate notes of angelica root, dried chamomile, and a whisper of fresh lemon zest emerge. There is a subtle earthiness—almost like wet stone—that grounds the brighter aromatics.
Palate
The texture is remarkably silky and full-bodied for a gin, with a grain-forward viscosity that delivers the botanicals in slow, layered waves. Juniper leads with a waxy, herbaceous quality, followed by coriander seed warmth, gentle orris root powder, and a peppery bite that builds through the mid-palate. Citrus stays restrained, acting more as a structural beam than a spotlight.
Finish
Long and dry with lingering juniper resin, cracked black pepper, and a faint lavender exhale. The grain texture persists beautifully, leaving a soft, almost chalky minerality on the tongue.
- Style
- London Dry style / Contemporary Botanical Gin
- Botanicals
- Juniper berries, angelica root, coriander seed, orris root, lavender, lemon peel, cassia bark, blueberries, and over 20 additional wild Norwegian botanicals including lingonberry and crowberry
- Base Spirit
- Norwegian wheat neutral spirit
- Distillation
- Small-batch pot distillation; botanicals are individually macerated and distilled, then blended to achieve the final profile
Cocktail Suggestion
The Cartographer — 2 oz Bareksten Botanical Norwegian Gin · 0.75 oz blanc vermouth · 0.25 oz yellow Chartreuse · 2 dashes celery bitters · Stir over ice, strain into a chilled coupe, express a grapefruit peel over the surface and discard.
Food Pairing
Thinly sliced dill-and-juniper-cured salmon served with a grainy mustard-dill sauce on dark rye crisps. The fatty richness of the gravlax mirrors the gin's silky mouthfeel, while the cure's own juniper and dill notes create a seamless botanical bridge. A side of pickled cucumber adds the acid counterpoint that keeps each bite refreshing.
Crafted by Stig Bareksten in Bergen, Norway—a city where rain falls over 200 days a year—this gin channels the damp, aromatic intensity of Scandinavian wilderness into a bottle of uncommon textural depth.
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