Gotland in a glass – among beer lovers, whiskey connoisseurs and gin romantics

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Text and photo: Mauro Rongione

As the ferry leaves the mainland and the sea is mirror-like, the image of Gotland slowly emerges. In the ship's corner, a guitar solo by Ulf Lundell and a melody from the Ainbusk Singers can be heard.

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For many, Gotland is the island of cycling holidays, where roads wind through tranquil limestone landscapes and past raukar. Here, Jack dreamed of freedom on his bike – the same freedom that today's modern travelers seek. Discover some of the places and people who put the island on the drinking map.​

Snausarve Farm Brewery

In Havdhem, has Nina Schultes and Kalle Andersson a personal brewery. The couple left their lives in the big city to realize their shared dream of a place where beer can be brewed with passion and patience. Together they run Snausarve Farm Brewery.

Nina, a trained chef and brewery technician, has previously worked at Värmdö Bryggeri and is also a certified beer judge. Kalle, with a background as a pharmaceutical researcher and home brewer.

“We wanted to do something real, not just talk about it,” says Nina. The farm in När is experimenting with different beer styles, especially sour beers in the Belgian lambic style.

One of the most appreciated beers is Söirli Drink, a raspberry sour beer that became Best New Beer of the Year 2024 according to Beer News.

So what makes a really good beer? 

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Nina and Kalle have a simple answer to the question – balance. “Regardless of the beer style, it should be well-balanced.” Kalle reflects further: 

“Many people talk about water quality too. When we moved here we already had a bunch of recipes from Stockholm, but the water here is completely different. We had our own well in the beginning with very hard water, 14 in hardness! It forced us to replace many hop varieties and adjust the recipes.”

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But now we have municipal, softened water, which is much softer and more stable. It allows us to build our own water profiles and adjust depending on the beer style. It's worth its weight in gold.

Their commitment and passion have not gone unnoticed. Snausarve Gårdsbryggeri was appointed Brewery of the Year 2025.

Barlingbo Brewery

Barlingbo Brewery, which was previously located in Barlingbo, has now moved to a charming old brick building on the outskirts of Visby. Barlingbo Bryggeri has been noted for its limited edition beer The Sanctuary of Saint Andrew, which is a tribute to Gotland's history and traditions.

This unique beer was brewed with great care and was released in only 2,999 copies, making it an expensive collector's item. Another beer that has received a lot of attention is Gotlands India Pale Ale, a modern IPA that offers a clear citrus character, hints of pine and a marked bitter finish.

Niklas Gustafsson, brewmaster at Barlingbo Bryggeri, reflects on the process behind their beer. He says: “We want to make something that we ourselves would like to drink. Often it’s about products we’ve tried abroad or got inspiration from. When we were on a trip to Belgium, we got the idea for our IPA.”

The restaurant is located next to the brewery. The Food & Malt Brewery, which gives visitors the opportunity to enjoy both food and drinks in a convivial atmosphere.

The restaurant has become a popular destination for beer lovers and foodies, where the theme ”Beer & Bread” permeates the menu. The theme celebrates yeast as the link between the kitchen and the brewery – think IPA vinaigrette over asparagus, or stout-braised prime rib with spent grain bread.

The brewery also uses local products in its cooking and beer production. Niklas says: “We have a lot of local products. Our bread is delivered by Fransiska, a German girl who lives in North Gotland. She bakes our bread without yeast, which makes it more sustainable. We also get cheese from Visby Us, a fantastic hard cheese that they themselves age for 24 months.

Boge Distillery

Far away from the stress and hustle and bustle of the city, amidst stone barns and wild flowering broom, lies Hägvide farm. Here, four friends make spirits with soul and elegance. Boge Distillery is a contemporary distillery with roots deeply rooted in Swedish spirits history.

Truls Nanneson is the heart of the distillery. Together with Erik, Hannah and Hannu, he runs the business with a mix of scientific precision and a storyteller's flair.

The inspiration? It came from Bosnia, to be precise. There, in a village no one in the group had ever heard of, Truls met an older man named Dragan Borko, a traveling distiller who distilled the entire village's fruits.

"He taught me that distillation is not just about temperature and pressure. It's about passion, waiting for the aromas and delving deep into every detail," says Truls.

But Boge Bränneri is not just a newcomer to the Swedish distillery scene. It is also a continuation of a long tradition. The history of Swedish distilling actually stretches all the way back to the 14th century, when three gunpowder makers in Stockholm began distilling. Already in the Middle Ages, brandy was seen as a healing art, something that would warm the body, cleanse the soul and cure ailments.

Saint Bridget, our most mythical saint, wrote about the distiller as a person who, like the Lord, separated evil from good with his pipes and reeds. And in the 18th century, she advocated Cajsa Warg, the great housewife, included distillation in her household books, not just as a drink, but as medicine and a carrier of the power of herbs. For her, distillation was a way of taking responsibility for the raw material: to use everything, to create something new from what was left over.

That's exactly what Boge Bränneri does. Spirits aren't boiled here, they're grown here. Truls talks warmly about AKKA, a brandy spiced with lavender and rosemary, which goes perfectly with grilled meat, named after Selma Lagerlöf's book "Nils Holgersson". Then we have saffron yellow BRITISH, based on a recipe from 1755, which we modernized. And then a range of fruit brandies made from cherries, plums and apples, all with local fruit, of course.

Apple spirit, which is something we are really proud of. Fruit spirits are not that big in Sweden, but they are very popular in Europe. So it feels fantastic that we received a gold medal at the World Drink Awards 2023 in the world's best unaged apple spirit category.

But the star of the range is undoubtedly their Boge Original Gin. A gin where moose grass, beach herbs and citrus marry in flavors that feel both wild and elegant. Boge is a small player in the gin world, they produce about 10,000 bottles per year.

What do you think makes your liquor special?

I think it's all about the carefully selected raw materials and the craftsmanship behind the products. We use local fruits and botanicals that give a completely unique taste, combined with old distillation methods, where the boilers we use have been used for over 600 years, but we also have modern methods to ensure quality and sustainability. And we are not afraid to challenge traditions with new flavors, says Truls.

Boge Bränneri's latest launch, The question mark “?”, is an exciting and daring approach that challenges your senses. The idea with The Question Mark is that you should approach the glass completely without any preconceptions.

The drink is described as fruity and spicy with clear hints of pear, citrus peel, anise and straw. It has a balanced alcohol content of 43 % and a very low sugar content. It works great to serve well chilled as a schnapps with food, but also works really well as a characterful base in drinks. Frågetecknet was launched at Systembolaget on May 4, 2026

Gotland Whiskey  

Whisky lovers flock to the old sugar mill in Roma. Here, it is produced Gotland Whiskey, one of Sweden's most unique whiskies, where each batch has its own unique character.

Mattias Croon, CEO of Gotland Whisky, explains how they work on a small scale to preserve quality at every step. “We are a small distillery and do everything very artisanally,” he says, giving an insight into the production.

”Earlier this year we stocked around 20,000 liters, and this year the goal is set at 27,000 liters in stock.” But for the future, the ambitions are even greater: “The goal within three years is to have 40,000 liters in stock,” Mattias says with a determined smile.

The question of whether the ambition is for the whisky to taste Gotland is something that particularly engages Mattias.

 Yes, a little. I think you still want to have certain recognizable features. It's about creating something that feels authentic, something that is rooted here. We use some special malt varieties and our own barley. The soils here are a bit special, there's a lot of lime in the soil, and it gives the whisky a mineral-rich and sometimes slightly smoky taste.

And the water, then? Mattias laughs and says: “Everyone says their water is the best. But in the end, I don't know how much it really affects.” Maybe it's about the entire ecosystem – from the Gotland grain to the water, the soil and the weather.

The whisky produced here is not just a product, it is a story. From the first distillation to the aging in limestone cellars. The flavors vary from the light smokiness of the “Isle of Lime Tjaukle” to the fruitier and almost floral character of “Gothic”. All releases are named after places on Gotland and reflect the island's rich and multifaceted nature.

Gotland Whisky has recently released the smoky medieval whiskey Jörmungand (1361 bottles). A numbered edition with notes of ashy smoke, citrus and vanilla, aged primarily in American oak barrels and the rum-aged Bar stool. A new release that stands out with its distinct rum character and light smokiness, a sequel to the popular Salvorev.

Alskute Farm & Brewery

In Levide, located in the hinterland of southern Gotland, where farmland and small forests meet limestone and sea breezes, Alskute Farm & Brewery located. Here, in a converted garage on a farm that carries both British charm and Gotland pride, craft beer is created. This is where the British brewer Bruce Todd has realized his dream of brewing his own beer.

How did you get into beer brewing?

When I was in San Diego, I got to know some of the early pioneers of the American craft beer movement. It was an amazing time, and I was really inspired by that passion for the craft.

Alskute IPA, the brewery's flagship, an American IPA with tropical fruit notes. But it's not just IPAs that have made Bruce famous. The brewery also experiments with more unusual beer styles – a quadruple aged in rum barrels, a winter beer with locally roasted coffee.

When Bruce is asked what he wishes for the future of beer, he pauses for a moment. Then he says, ”Beer that you want to enjoy again, again and again. Like old friends – not because they’re cool, but because they’re reliable.”

The journey from Alskute to Roma

Quite recently, Alskute Farm & Brewery has merged with Lost Island Brewery in Rome. Since spring 2025, all beer production has moved from the farm in Levide to Lost Island's modern facility in the sugar mill in Roma. Lost Island Brewery and its founder Jens Enderberg have taken over the production and the Alskute brand, while Alskute founder Bruce Todd has become a partner in Lost Island Brewery.

Lost Island Brewery Gotland

It started with a 'do-it-yourself kit' from a discount store that went off the rails. Now, when we've moved into Roma Sockerbruk, we've taken the step from the garage to let experimental Gotland flavors flow on a larger scale, says Jens.

Jens started in 2016 in a garage in Vibble. In 2020, the business moved to premises in Roma Sockerbruk, where they are now located next door to both a whiskey distillery and a sausage factory.

Lost Island Brewery is known for using local ingredients such as fruits and berries to create unique taste experiences. Their Raspberry Dream is characterized by a clear raspberry fruitiness and a fresh acidity. An example of Jen's ambition to explore new flavor combinations.

Eat at: The Farmer and the Beans

Just outside Slite, lies one of Gotland's most personal restaurants. In the summer of 2024, Stefanie Henning opened the doors - with a vision of creating a place where Gotland aromas dominate on the plate and in the glass.

Loading for the summer of 2026 The Farmer & the Beans in Slite to take its food philosophy to a new level. With a focus on hyper-local ingredients and "wild drinks", the restaurant is expected to offer even more unique taste experiences from Gotland's nature.

Stay at: Villa Alskog

After a day full of experiences and country roads, it's nice to retreat to the combination of tranquility and warmth that Villa Alskog offers. The boutique hotel in southeast Gotland is decorated with a sense of both history and modern aesthetics.

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Mr Mauro Rongione

Mauro is a professional photographer, filmmaker and writer. After studying art and film studies in Rome Mauro trained as a photographer at the International Centre of Photography in New York, where he also worked at Crain's New York Business Magazine. A few decades later, Mauro has photo and film assignments around the world, focusing on people, architecture, travel, design, art, food and nature. His clients include Intellecta, OTW, Aller, HSB, Svenska Dagbladet, Gourmet, Lantliv, Plaza Deco, Vagabond, Gods & Gårdar, Vasakronan and others.

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