"Distilled and Bottled under supervision of the SIGURDSSON FAMILY
Not genuine without my signature
V T Sigurdsson
Serve Ice Cold   40% vol"


This is an excellent schnapps with a distinct anise flavor that unfortunately is hard to come by in most places I have been. The black label features a skull wearing a top hat. The bottle is of green glass and has a tapered neck. I was first introduced to this beverage in Iceland by one of my relatives there. My family was eating over at his house and he was liquoring us up. The finale after cocktails and wine was a small wooden box. He held it up for everyone to see, slid the top off, and then we saw four shot glasses filled with a clear liquid rise up, as if by magic, as he pushed up the bottom of the box. He explained that you couldn't buy this in Iceland, even though it was Icelandic in style. As I roamed about the liquor stores in Reykjavik I had to admit he was right. Apparently it was distilled on the continent.

When I got back to the US I searched for the liquor again, but none of the package stores I visited had heard of it. Not even the big New Hampshire State Liquor Stores. I searched on the internet but couldn't even find it there.

Later that year I wound up in Japan out in the country near Osaka. Along with a big group of friends, gaijin and nihonjin both, went out to do some "camping" even further out in the country. Alcohol of course being an important part of our event, we stopped in at the local sake-ya. What should I find gathering dust on the shelf, but two bottles of Black Death Schnapps! At 1500 yen (approximately US$15 at the time) it was a steal.

As tasty as it was, it had to run out some time, so now I'm staring sadly at my empty "0,7L" bottle. Maybe I'll go have some port instead.

"~Drink in Peace~" -on the rear label

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