Danish Distillers, Aalborg

Facts

Spirits rise in Aalborg

By Kathrine G. Bjerregaard, Cand.mag i historie og filosofi / Master of Arts, History and Philosophy (33 stories)

In 1931, a company called Danish Distillers built a factory complex in the heart of Aalborg surrounded by the fiord, Limfjorden, the railway and the coast road. This reflected the strategy of uniting production in Aalborg, Roskilde, Slagelse and Copenhagen. Architect Alf. Cock-Clausen designed the buildings, which cluster around a central courtyard. The courtyard is cut in two by a transverse production building where the spirits themselves are distilled. The buildings around it have reinforced concrete frames, red brickwork and yellow tile details. The buildings are just as they were built in 1931. Inside, a large part of the original production equipment is still in its original place.

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Cheers to the monopoly

Story written by Kathrine G. Bjerregaard

Time / Periode 1831

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From about 1840 onwards, distilling spirits was concentrated in fewer and fewer distilleries. Two distilleries in Aalborg, Henius and P. Wibroe, quickly became the largest in the country. In 1872, they merged to become Aalborg Privilegerede Spritfabrik. The company gradually cornered the lion's share of the spirits market in Denmark. In 1881, it became part of Danish Distillers, which was founded the same year. The mergers triggered a drastic fall in the number of distilleries. From 2,500 in 1881 to 1 in 1923 – Danish Distillers. Danish Distillers was also granted the sole right to produce yeast and methylated spirits – a monopoly that lasted until 1973, when Denmark joined the European Community.