Mike McCarron has always been a winter person. An avid cross–country skier for many years, coaching and teaching the sport in the U.S. and abroad, his love of Nordic skiing took him, naturally, to Scandinavia. It was in Iceland, at a traditional smørrebrød dinner given by Danish friends, that he was introduced to aquavit, flavored with dill. He was inspired by how the spirit did not dominate, but calmly enhanced the food and pleasant conversation. It added a quiet elegance without being showy.

He returned to Minnesota to find that dill aquavit wasn’t to be found stateside. When years went by and dill aquavit did not appear on the shelves, he decided to take action. With a well–balanced, flavorful recipe for dill aquavit in hand, he contacted a local micro–distillery (45th Parallel) and created Gamle Ode (old ode).