Published by Jeremy.
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Like most Nordic countries, Finland is a controlled alcohol state. This means that for all alcohol above a certain ABV (in this case, 5.5%), you have to visit a state-run shop to purchase your products.
We always find these areas interesting to visit as we like to see what kind of products that are offered, their price points, and any other interesting details visitors may want to know.
For higher-ABV products in Finland, you'll want to visit a local Alko store for beer, wine, and spirits. After visiting a few in Helsinki, employees unanimously told us one thing- go to the Arkadia location. The flagship store in the brand is one of the largest in Finland and, to paraphrase one rep we spoke to, the envy of all Nordic countries.
This high praise set the bar really high for us, and after visiting, we have to admit, we'd love an Alko Arkadia in our own state too. Yes, it is that good!
What is Available at Alko Arkadia?
Most Alko stores in Finland follow a fairly typical spread of products available. As mentioned, anything greater than 5.5% ABV will exclusively be sold in these stores (and you must be 18+ to buy anything under 22% and over 20 for the rest), and most locations have a healthy mix of beer, wine, and spirits- with a decent mix of countries represented and local producers as well (for beer and spirits, at least).
Alko Arkadia takes this up to a level like you would expect at “premium collection” stores elsewhere. Not only is the offering just as varied as conventional Alko stores, it is just an impressive collection of, well, everything. Think a wide array of styles, regions, producers, and price points to name a few covering two fairly large floors.
In reality, the store itself would be impressive as a standalone beer store, standalone liquor store, and standalone wine shop- that is just how good this store is.
On the wine front, two broad categories of wine stood out to us as having a disproportionately large representation at Alko stores (Arkadia and others)- sparkling wine and rose. The amounts of excellent Champagne and rose producers available here would be the envy of many stores all over the world. They also had pretty incredible depth within the categories as well with more non-Champagne sparkling wines from all over the world and a similar representation for rose.
We could honestly make the argument that the depth is impressive for most every major category at Alko Arkadia, but sparkling wine and rose were especially notable at all stores in addition to the Arkadia flagship.
We always like to compare price points when visiting stores in other countries, and our go-to bottle of Chateau Musar 2017 was easily found at Alko Arkadia for just under 31 Euro (or about $33.50 USD). While Nordic countries are often considered to be quite expensive by Europe standards, this was also the cheapest price we've seen it in the north so far- in Sweden's Systembolaget we found a 2016 for $42 and $52 in Norway's Vinmonopolet. Considering this bottle is normally $70+ in the US, finding it for $33.50 in Alko Arcadia seems like a steal!
This trend continues to many other products we've found in Nordic liquor stores, with prices being a bit elevated by Europe standards but a fair bit lower than nearby countries in the north.
For those who like spirits, be on the lookout for Finland's popular gins as well as Lapponia Cloudberry Liqueur- a stellar bottle with one of the best berries you can only find in the extreme north. While not wine, this bottle is so flavorful that we feel obliged to give it a call-out here too.
Overall, Alko as a national brand offers a pretty impressive line up of wines and spirits at decent prices by Nordic standards. But when you hit the flagship Arkadia store in Helskinki, you'll quickly realize why this one is the envy of many stores- even we want one!
So whether you simply want to browse or are looking for a great product to try while in Finland, do not overlook a stop to Alko Arkadia in Helsinki!
Alko Arkadia is located at Salomonkatu 1, 00100 in Helsinki.
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