EVERETT — Call it The Return of the Wizard.
The crab boat helmed by Capt. Keith Colburn of “The Deadliest Catch” reality television show arrived in Seattle this month with a special cargo: a barrel of a traditional Scandinavian spirit.
Bluewater Organic Distilling owner John Lundin was on hand to greet Colburn and take possession of the barrel, which contains a batch of akvavit.
Lundin crafted the akvavit at his distillery on the Everett waterfront before sending it to sea to age aboard the F/V Wizard. Barrel-aging in the hold of ships is the traditional way to make the spirit.
Sampling the akavit on its return to port, Lundin said it was fabulous.
“When we sent the barrel up there, I was uncertain how it would turn out or even if the barrel would survive,” Lundin said. “The fact it’s back and the first tasting has proven so exquisite, it’s really exciting for us.”
Lundin’s planning a special bottle release for Sept. 3: “That gives us a little longer for the oak barrel to impart its flavor on the spirit,” he said.
Lundin plans to present bottles of the spirit to Colburn and the crew of the F/V Wizard at the Fisheman’s Fall Festival on Sept. 24 at Fishermen’s Terminal in Ballard.
Lundin expects to be able to get about 250 bottles out of the barrel. He’s still determining how to sell the spirit and expects to make an announcement on his website, www.bluewaterdistilling.com, or through Bluewater’s newsletter, which can be signed up for at the site.
Lundin also hasn’t set a price, but he thinks it will be around $200 a bottle. He and Colburn will sign each bottle and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Seattle Fishermen’s Memorial Fund, which raises money for safety education as well as a college fund for children of fishermen lost at sea.
“It’s a unique project and a lot goes into it and it’s definitely a collector’s item,” Lundin said.
Akvavit is a spirit infused with caraway and other spices, rooted in Nordic culture and often broken out during festive gatherings. The spirit is crafted and then sent to sea. The rocking motion of the boat as well as the weather help the booze obtain its unique flavor. The spirit will not only gain flavors from the spices, but also from the charred-oak barrel.
Lundin, whose family hails from Sweden, has always wanted to brew a batch of akvavit. When he met Colburn last year, they got to talking about the drink. Colburn agreed to carry the barrel on the F/V Wizard as it crabbed off Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
The barrel was held in place by a steel cage, but both barrel and cage “bear the mark of an extreme adventure,” Lundin said.
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