It can be spelled in different ways - see here. But compared to other spirits it's bleeding awful stuff, and I'm not surprised that many people drink it by throwing it down their throats all at once.. That way they don't have to taste it.
I got horribly ill on akvavit many moons ago as my host put the bottle in deep freeze until the bottle was white with frost but the Akvavit does not freeze. He then poured it into a small tumbler plus a glass of lager at hand. One had to knock back the Akvavit in one then down a few mouthfulls of lager and so on . Don't ask as never again!. Is this the way the Danish drink it???