Vana Tallinn

Vana Tallinn (Estonian for Old Tallinn) is a dark and robust rum-based liqueur developed in the 1960s[1] and produced by the Estonian company Liviko. The liqueur is sweet with a hint of Jamaican rum, flavoured by various natural spices, including citrus oil, cinnamon and vanilla. The liqueur is widely used across Estonia and is commonly drunk on its own as a shot, in an Estonian coffee or mulled wine.

Vana Tallinn

Type	Liqueur
Manufacturer	Liviko
Country of origin	Estonia
Introduced	1960
Alcohol by volume	40%, 45%, 50%
Proof (US)	80, 90, 100
Colour	dark brown
Variants	Vana Tallinn Vana Tallinn Winter Spice Vana Tallinn Heritage Edition Vana Tallinn Cream Vana Tallinn Ice Cream
Website	liviko.ee

Overview

The three main varieties of Vana Tallinn are:

• Vana Tallinn 40% (80 proof)
• Vana Tallinn 45% (90 proof)
• Vana Tallinn 50% (100 proof)

Also produced are;

• Vana Tallinn Winter Spice (35% or 70 proof)
  • This liqueur has been produced since November 2012. It is based on Vana Tallinn liqueur with the addition of cinnamon, cardamom, anise and nutmeg.[2]
• Vana Tallinn Heritage Edition (40% or 80 proof)
• Vana Tallinn Cream (16% or 32 proof)
• Vana Tallinn Chocolate Cream (16% or 32 proof)
• Vana Tallinn Coffee Cream (16% or 32 proof)
• Vana Tallinn Ice Cream (16% or 32 proof)

Distribution

Vana Tallinn is widely available in all of the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), as well as Ukraine, Russia and Finland. Although it is advertised as an ancient and traditional Estonian drink, the production actually started only in September 1960.

American distribution

Until recently, Vana Tallinn had been only available in Europe, making it nearly impossible for anyone in the U.S. to acquire a bottle short of bringing it back from a trip. In 2007, Matrics Importing, based in Oak Lawn, Illinois, became the US importer for Vana Tallinn. Efforts were underway to establish nationwide distribution and gain broad acceptance of the product. As of 2014, Matrics Importing has discontinued the importing and distribution of Vana Tallinn anywhere in the United States, citing that the venture became cost-prohibitive when the manufacturer refused to invest any money into advertising the product in the US. Currently, Matrics Importing has no plans to begin re-importing Vana Tallinn. As of 2018, Vana Tallinn is imported by InterBalt Products[3] and is available in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia where InterBalt distributes directly, as well as in 15 other states.

Since 2007, Vana Tallinn has received industry recognition with a Silver Medal in the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits competition, a 94 rated review in the April 2008 edition of "The Tasting Panel" magazine and a Gold designation of 90 points from the Beverage Testing Institute in their 2009 International Review of Spirits which can be found on their Tastings website.

Distribution in Japan

Liviko introduces and distributes Vana Tallinn liqueurs among its other products in Japan since 2010 via the subsidiary Hanza Trading Co.[4][5]

References

1. "Vana Tallinn Liqueur". The Baltic Spirits Company. 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
2. "Liviko tõi turule uue Vana Tallinna likööri" (in Estonian). Postimees. 15 November 2012. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
3. "Vana Tallinn". InterBalt Products. InterBalt Corp. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
4. "Hanza Trading Co. Ltd". hanza-trading.co.jp/index_en.html. Hanza Trading Co. Archived from the original on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
5. "AS Liviko kasvatas 2011. aastal eksporti 22 protsenti". Liviko. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.

External links

• Liviko product description