FEATURE STORIES

Ogin and the stubbornness

The wind blows in from the Gulf of Bothnia and causes the seabirds to take off in panic.

On a headland in Boviken, Jon Oskar Arnason steps out into his backyard. Here, among the wild raspberries, blackcurrant leaves and field berries, he finds inspiration and a large part of the ingredients that give his gin its unique taste.

- If you take the acidity and sweetness out of a raspberry, do you think you'll recognize the taste? Jon Oskar knows the answer, but he doesn't want to admit it. It's exactly this kind of flavor experimentation that drives his craft forward. The obsession to explore flavors down to the molecular level and learn how they change.

In the small farmhouse on the grounds of Boviken is the Ogin Distillery. Inside is the original copper pot that he started experimenting with.

- I guess you could say it all started in here in 2018. That's when I started distilling and exploring flavors, and in 2020 we started the distillery. It was really a stubborn dream to understand what the raw materials of the forest really taste like, in their purest form.

“It was the same when I was cooking,
I wanted to understand every
ingredient in depth”

The first ideas were born during a visit to the Scottish island of Jura, where Jon Oskar saw how local producers worked with terroir - the unique character of the place. He realized that the same philosophy could be applied to drinks from Boviken and that's why he started playing around with the copper kettle, using the Icelandic word 'ogin', which actually means 'not gin'.

- I started distilling everything and in different plant phases. The blueberry blossom, the green berries, those that had ripened and those that had survived the first frost. Elderberry, fir, raspberry leaves. I wanted to build a flavor database.

And so he did. Jon Oskar's approach is based on intuition and feeling, rather than fixed recipes. The well-used leather apron is tied around his waist before he sets out with the basket. From June to the end of August, he lives his most intense period squatting.

- I pick at random and taste my way around. The raw materials change depending on the weather and the season. If it has rained at night, they taste different than after a dry period. The flavor I taste, I know exactly how it will appear in the distillation.

His flavor database is impressively broad today - over 160 different herbs and plants have been distilled to understand their true character.

- It was the same when I was cooking, I wanted to understand each ingredient in depth. I've taken that with me into the distillery.

He picks most of the grapes himself - both on his property in Boviken and in the forests around Storkågeträsk.

- I know exactly when the juniper berries are ripe. They come off the bracket when the fall storms come, so timing is everything, the taste changes enormously depending on when you harvest. Last year I got 60 kilos by gently shaking the bushes over a tablecloth, he says, gesturing with his hands.

Flavors are developed through emotion, curiosity and almost scientific precision.

- When I start a slow cooker in the restaurant kitchen, I know exactly what the end result will be. I wanted the same confidence with gin. That's why I started small, with a 10-liter pot, to understand every flavor change.

One of the most crucial ingredients in Ogin is the local juniper berries. But do they really taste different compared to juniper berries from Provence or California, for example?

- Very much so. There is a perception that juniper berries taste the same everywhere, but they don't. Climate, soil and ripeness all play a role. Some are more floral, others have more pepperiness.

“It's about distilling out the very essence of northern flavors”

- I pick in the morning and start distilling within an hour. Fresh ingredients are always best, I've learned that from the restaurant kitchen.

Ogin Distillery quickly became a talking point in the industry. In just a few years, the products have landed in Sweden's best Guide Michelin restaurants, from Frantzén in Stockholm to a collaboration with luxury car manufacturer Koenigsegg, where Ogin is served at VIP events around the world. Today, the products are available globally.

- We have never pushed to sell globally. But we have chosen to work with the best in the business, and when you get into the right restaurants, it spreads quickly. My attitude has always been that if I'm going to do something, it should be in the best restaurants in the world.

In 2023, the distillery produced 6,000 liters of gin and 10,000 liters of vodka, and the goal is to double the volume this year.

- It takes a year to make our gin, so we tie up a lot of capital. But we're in it for the long haul, and we see that interest is growing.

In addition to its content, Ogin has also been praised for its design. The bottles, designed by co-founder and Skellefte resident Jakob Nylund, won the Swedish Design Prize 2024 on the grounds that the design is "as natural as it is unconventional". The gold in the prestigious German Design Awards was also a big hit.

- The whole idea behind the brand is that everything should be connected - from the flavors to the story and the visual expression. We talk about Swedish Lapland, because it gives an exclusivity. Unfortunately, no one knows about Boviken, but Swedish Lapland is an international concept, says Jakob.

Jon Oskar's journey to Skellefteå actually began as a temporary detour. Born and raised in Húsavík, Iceland, a windswept fishing village on the north side of the island, he decided as a young chef to travel the world. Sweden was a somewhat unexpected destination. After spending time in Oslo and Umeå, he ended up in Piteå, where he and then-partner Sara started the restaurant Bryggargatan. When they moved to Skellefteå in 2011, the restaurant followed and it has become an appreciated gourmet destination down by the Skellefte River at Bryggarbacken. With his background in the kitchen, Jon Oskar has always been driven by seasonal ingredients, local flavors and a sense of quality. Although Skellefteå is now home, a part of Iceland will always remain in him.

- I can miss the sea and the power of the waves. Maybe that's why I stand out here on the headland when the wind is at its strongest. But otherwise? I'm pretty happy where I am.

Eventually the answer comes - or at least the realization of raspberries without acid and sweetness. The taste is still there, but it's not what you thought. Maybe that's why Ogin doesn't just taste of juniper - but of Boviken, the forest, the wind and the sea.

Text: Daniel Bergeman

Photo: Jonas Westling