Vikingfjord Vodka is a brand of vodka, distilled from potatoes and bottled by the Norwegian company Arcus. It is distilled through a five-column process, using only glacial water from the Jostedalsbreen glacier in South-Western Norway.
Vikingfjord Vodka is sold in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Germany, Canada and the United States. Vikingfjord won the Gold Medal in the 2006 San Francisco World Spirits Competition in the Unflavored Vodka, 40% category and has also won best Vodka in International Wine and Spirit Competition in London and in the International Spirits Challenge.
History
Vikingfjord Vodka was launched in 1985 by a partnership between the Norwegian state-owned wine and spirits monopoly Vinmonopolet and the US supplier Heublein. Initial sales were not good, and in 1986 Heublein was acquired by Grand Metropolitan, which already distributed a number of well-known, established vodka brands. A few months later, Heublein stopped marketing Vikingfjord.
Vinmonopolet decided to go for its domestic market and, in 1986, initially launched as Viking Fjord, its premium vodka made with Norwegian glacial water. Four years after the Norwegian launch, the Norwegian design agency Grid was commissioned to redesign the bottle. At the same time the product name is changed from Viking Fjord to Vikingfjord Vodka.