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Where Is Absolut Vodka Made

What Is Absolut Vodka

How Absolut Vodka Is Made

Absolut Vodka can be seen on bar shelves across the world as a premium vodka for creating adventurous, hand-crafted cocktails or simply drinking straight from a glass.

Absolut has a somewhat revolutionary past. Its creator, Lars Olsson Smith, created what was then called Rent Brannvin in response to a monopolized liquor market. It did so well that it made Smith quite wealthy but drove Sweden to monopolize his brand, calling it Absolut Rent Brannvin. From there, a higher end product called Absolut Vodka was introduced as the Vodka of Sweden.

Absolut Vodka is nothing if not unique. Splashing on the scene as a newcomer in the late 1970s, Absolut gained notoriety for its unusually shaped bottle. For those interested in sustainability and environmental responsibility, Absolut takes the cake in that regard as well. From repurposing distillery byproducts as animal food to sourcing all of its wheat from local farms.

Absolut Vodka has made a name for itself from its upstart history, advertising campaigns, and unique approach to the industry. Once an Absolut Vodka hits the glass, it makes its name all over again as a smooth, subtle vodka that can be fashioned in any way.

Absolut Vodka And The Spirit Of Sweden

Walk into a bar anywhere in the world and more often than not you will spot Absolut with its characteristic bottle and the silver imprint of L.O Smith. Lars Olsson Smith was a maverick Swedish entrepreneur, commonly known as the king of spirits, who founded what is now Absolut back in 1879. After Olssons death, the brand went into decline, before being re-launched in its current form in 1970. Nowadays, close to half a million bottles of Absolut Vodka are produced every day.

Absolut Vodka Announces Biggest Design Update Since 1979

6 September 2021

Pernot Ricard-owned spirits brand Absolut Vodka has unveiled its biggest packaging refresh since its launch, in a bid to highlight its historical credentials.

Influenced by the community surrounding its production and distillation in and around Åhus, Sweden, the new bottle includes changes that nod to the craftmanship behind the vodka.

These design updates include bringing to life Absolut Vodka’s ‘One Source’ philosophy by including text alongside an illustration of the original distillery noting ‘ONE SOURCE. ONE COMMUNITY. ONE SMALL VILLAGE IN THE SOUTH OF SWEDEN’, reinforcing the fact that every bottle of Absolut Vodka is produced and distilled in and around Åhus, Sweden.

In addition, the inclusion of the address of the original distillery on the front label seeks to provide transparency about the location and help communicate Absolut’s brand home. This is the first time Absolut has included a paper label on the bottle.

The company has also enhanced the legibility of the script, which it hopes will allow more people to read and enjoy Absolut Vodka’s story.

Lastly, embossing the glass with ‘COUNTRY OF SWEDEN’ links back to its long-standing tradition and knowledge of vodka making in this region.

The new design Absolut Vodka bottles will be available in the USA from September 2021 onwards and continue to roll-out globally depending on current stock inventories.

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How To Buy Vodka

Grey Goose Vodka Espresso Martini

Vodka is one of the easiest alcoholic spirits that you can buy and its readily available from most supermarkets and convenience stores. However, the brands stocked by such places tend to be quite basic and not particularly interesting.

Of course, you can go to a specialist merchant to find better quality vodka. Yet, this may prove to be quite expensive.

Conversely, weve been having some excellent experiences with a few online retailers. For instance, Drizly partners with local shops and strives to provide fast deliveries to your door.

Meanwhile, if youre willing to wait, Reserve Bar has an excellent vodka selection that it sells at lower prices than Drizly.

Things You Should Know About Absolut Vodka

Absolut vodka made from

Even if you dont drink vodka, youre probably familiar with Absolut, thanks to its ridiculously successful marketing campaign. Even if you do drink Absolut, there are probably more than a few things you dont know about the product, or the company itself. From a surprising level of environmental awareness to ancient water sources to that pesky old gluten question, here are 10 things you should absolutely know about the iconic label.

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Who Owns Russian Vodka

billionaire Roustam TarikoFor years, Russian Standard has marketed its namesake product with the tagline vodka as it should be. To the companys owner, billionaire Roustam Tariko, that long meant Russian, unflavored, and exclusive. But Tariko in recent years decided that focusing solely on a premium line has its limits.

Absolut Vodka And Smirnoff Flavors

While Vodka itself is known to have no flavor, modernization brings lots of new trends into the classic liquid as now they are fancy with fruity and unique flavors to try. Absolut Vodka and Smirnoff are two among other brands that incorporate flavoring into their regular beverage and this is also attracting more customers because lets be honest, not all of us are fond of just water and ethanol mix. This made them more similar to soft drinks but with the kick of alcohol.

Flavor is subjective but we personally like the fruit variants of these vodkas as they go well with just being chilled and save you the time to add any other ingredients to give it a taste. Our personal favorite for just any time is Smirnoff Ice which is more like a soft drink with very low alcohol content, perfect for almost any occasion. If you are currently feeling fancy, Absolut has a luxury variant called Elyx that is distilled using copper columns still and made from winter wheat from a single state in Southern Sweden.

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Meeting The Challenge Of A Holiday Campaign During Lockdown

Every year during the winter holidays, the brands licensed distributor, Corby Spirit and Wine, issues a special edition bottle of this classic libation. Absolut fans keep an eye out for the limited run, so the bottles have a following among collectors. Traditionally, Corby has supported this special;product with a multi-media campaign and made good use of in-store displays and point-of-sale elements. The 2020 holiday season, however, put a chill on that.

Pandemic-inspired safety measures meant liquor stores were open but to create space for physical distancing, they werent allowing as many in-store displays. Corby still needed to reach its customers and drive sales to Absoluts special-edition bottle, but now faced the challenge of doing so without its favoured tool.

Every Drop Of Absolut Elyx Is Made From Winter Wheat Grown On One Single Estate In Southern Sweden

How Absolut Elyx Vodka Is Made

The region has the ideal climate for producing winter wheat, with its dry, cold winters and long, warm summers contributing to yields that are typically twice the global average.

Single Estate Wheat sourcing

Absolut vodka carefully sources its crops from around 450 of these fertile estates, while Elyx is crafted exclusively from winter wheat grown at just one. Blessed with the perfect terroir, the single estate of Rabelof has exactly the right combination of soil type, micro-climate, topography and tradition to make its winter wheat high in starch and medium in protein. These are precisely the qualities needed to produce the best vodka.

A process perfected for centuries

Little has changed since Rabelof first started cultivating its wheat in the 1400s. Sown in September, the wheat kernels quickly start to germinate but then the whole process slows down with the approach of autumn and the cold winter temperatures. When spring arrives, the wheat bursts back into life. Together, this six-month head start and the long, warm summer days mean that the wheat grows at an accelerated pace, creating the high starch content we value so much.

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The Water In Your Absolut Is Ancient

Absolut sources its water from local wells that are more than 450 feet deep, meaning the stuff that gets you tipsy had to push its way through Swedish bedrock for thousands of years. Not only does that give that bottle of Absolut Raspberry much-needed street cred, it acts as a natural filter for the water itself, yielding, theoretically, a purer product.

Gluten Carbs & Calories In Vodka

Like gin, vodka is often said to be gluten-free even if its distilled from grain. Yet, people with celiac disease can react poorly from consuming it. Nevertheless, vodka produced from other bases such as potatoes are completely gluten free and safe to drink.

Needless to say, an alcoholic spirit as neutral as vodka contains no carbohydrates. Similarly, its a simple combination of ethanol and water. Therefore, its quite low in calories too. A single shot of 40% ABV vodka features 96 calories but this can increase depending on the concentration.

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Absolut Is A Proud Weirdo In The Vodka World

When it hit the American market in 1979, Absolut was like the shy new kid in the vodka schoolyard. The understated, apothecary-style bottle looked nothing like traditional and dominant Russian vodka bottles. An ad exec doing marketing for Absolut came up with the famously minimalist, richly graphic Absolut campaign.

Absolut Vodka And Smirnoff Ingredient

Absolut Vodka bottle made into a patio candle light. www ...

Just like for almost anything, Vodka also comes from certain ingredients and starting from Absolut. This brand is pretty unique for its effort to only use the ingredient from a certain area and all of their beverage is made from winter wheat that grows in the large Skane region of Sweden which cost more than a hundred thousands of tons for the manufacturing process per year. Winter wheat is planted in September and harvested in August. This certain wheat is said to be high in sugar that makes it perfect for fermentation.

On the other hand, Smirnoff is made from corn which is giving the beverage an upper hand because it means people who are concerned about gluten can enjoy this Vodka as well, knowing that many other brands are made from wheat.

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What Was Vodka Originally Made Out Of

There isnt a definite nor proven account of where it was first created. There is a DIVIDE as to where it comes from.

Among a number of countries claiming the birth of Vodka there are two that are highly plausible: RUSSIA and POLAND.

Lets look at the etymology of vodka. The Russian word voda means water. Meanwhile, Poland has woda which translates to the same word.

Historians suggest these are possible ways of how the word VODKA came about.

Discovery and Spread of Vodka

Although the history of vodka suggests it can be traced back to the 1300s or even earlier, this alcoholic drink hasnt been widely known until the 1900s.

The Russian Revolution in 1917 paved vodkas popularity in Europe which may also be the reason why most would allude this drink to the Russians.

Russian families and groups migrated to parts of Europe. This started the proliferation of vodka across the continent and to the world.

Why Did People Start Making Vodka?

The main ingredient of this drink is actually POTATOESwho wouldve guessed?

Originally, vodka was made from the humble spud and only averages 14% alcohol content. It was drunk for MEDICINAL PURPOSES.

The natural fermentation process of vodka makes it a good antiseptic or disinfectant.

In some movies, you might spot some characters pouring vodka over a knife to disinfect it before they perform a crude operation. It is a reference to how people used this to sterilize the equipment before cutting into a humans skin.

Popular Vodka Cocktail Recipes

Grey Goose Vodka Premier Cocktail

Of course, vodka is primarily consumed as a cocktail base in the west. Indeed, it is rarely drunk neat unless the objective is to get absolutely s**tfaced. Thanks to its neutral and clean taste, vodka is even celebrated as the most neutral cocktail base that you can use.

Therefore, here are a few notable examples of the best vodka-based cocktails that you can make. However, there are countless more that we couldnt possible list them all here.

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You Have Andy Warhol To Thank For All Those Ads

Absoluts off-kilter ad campaign started with the iconic haloed Absolut Perfection, which we worship to this day. But it wasnt until 1986, when platinum-domed pop artist Warhol offered up his Absolut Warhol ad, that the strange, artsy, gonzo universe of Absolut advertising was born. Many creative exploits would follow, with Absolut putting its mark on everything from Hollywood starlets to fruit to BDSM.

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Engaging And Enticing With Precise Data

How to make an Absolut Vodka & Cranberry Cocktail | Recipe

Canada Post identified specific neighbourhoods with a high percentage of young, downtown professionals. To drive awareness for this new bottle, Corby would send 250,000 pieces of direct mail;in;combination with;social, digital and targeted out-of-home.

With its sophisticated;data-driven targeting capabilities, direct mail can deliver specific demographics with unrivalled precision in this case younger adults in condos within urban centres near specific retail outlets. Each one had to count. If were investing in that many pieces, says Sharma, we want to make sure theyre going to the right 250,000 people, not a random collection.

Neither Sharma nor Havas, Corbys agency, had ever worked with direct mail before, so they enlisted Canada Post Expert Partner, Marketing Kitchen, to help. The Expert Partner made it turnkey for Corby, says Robin;Nordlander, Canada Post Business Acquisition Manager.

Corby targeted neighbourhoods in Ontario and British Columbia where the holiday bottles were;available.

Working with Havas, Corby developed a three-panel;direct;mail print piece. Sharma explains that it included three perforated gift tags to elevate the gifting proposition, as well as recipes for inspiration and a QR code where people could find a location close to them that had the bottle. The material was high-quality and vibrant to push the premium cues, says Sharma.

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Typical Alcohol Volume Percentage

As touched on earlier, the minimum ABV for vodka is 37% in Europe and 40% in the USA. However, it can be much higher depending on the distillery and country of origin. For instance, Bulgarian Balkan 176° has 88% ABV. Yet, this is not technically vodka as it hasnt been filtered.

On average, vodka will be between 40 to 45% ABV in order to cater to both European and American markets.

Stage : Fermentation & Filtration

MALT serves as the agent that would convert starch to sugar. Meanwhile, YEAST enzymes are necessary in order to produce alcohol. The enzymes break down the mash and extracts the oxygen.

The whole process would take 2-4 days to complete.

  • It starts by HEATING the mash with the water and malt mixture.
  • After heating, any solid waste or material would be strained and removed from the mixture. This stage produces fermented sugars in the remaining liquid which is commonly referred to as wash.
  • Once the wash is cooled down, its stored in a vat where the yeast would be added. Its crucial to seal it tightly so the yeast can properly break down the sugar and turn it into ethyl alcohol.;
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    How Vodka Is Made & Its Ingredients

    Chopin Vodka Distillery, Poland

    Traditionally, vodka is produced using grain such as corn, rye, or wheat. Yet, many Polish vodkas were also often made from potatoes. Today, vodka is still made from one of these ingredients but may alternatively be produced from sugar beet molasses, grapes or even soybeans.

    Whatever based is used, it must be rich in starches or sugars in order to be properly distilled.

    Historically, the distillation process was repeated several times to produce vodka. In Poland, this was undertaken three times, which were referred to as brantówka, szumówka, and okowita. Interestingly, okowita is a reference to aqua vitae.

    This is still undertaken today and distilleries may either perform several distillations or use a fractioning still to improve the vodkas purity.

    Like most distillation processes, a master distiller will ensure that the fore-shots, heads, and tails are removed as these contain toxins and impurities that are detrimental to the resulting taste.

    To be considered vodka, the spirit must be filtered and refined after it has been distilled. In the traditional Vodka Belt cultures, the spirit will usually undergo a thorough distillation process and then only minor charcoal filtering to accentuate the flavours.

    Meanwhile, European and American producers tend to prefer extensive filtration during the distillation process, which is then repeated again afterwards.

    Likewise, honey, pepper, and ginger are particularly popular natural flavours in Russia.

    What Are The Benefits Of Drinking Vodka

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    Grey Goose Vodka

    Historically, vodka was a medicine much like many of Europes other clear distilled spirits. This notion has actually persisted over the centuries and it is still considered as such by many to this day. In fact, a popular remedy for a cold or cough is ground pepper in a shot of vodka.

    Yet, there is some truth to these claims. Firstly, vodka is a natural disinfectant. Therefore, it can be drank to soothe sore throats and tooth ache or even applied topically on injuries.

    Furthermore, vodka can help reduce cholesterol, improve circulation, and has been proven to help reduce stress even more than red wine.

    Additionally, vodka contains very few impurities. Therefore, its actually considered safer than most spirits. Being a purer spirit, there are reduced side effects from excessive drinking.

    While it is still a strong spirit that can cause heavy intoxication, the pains of the morning after are said to be milder than other more flavoursome spirits.

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    Enhancing The Customer Experience By Re

    Absolut was not alone. Creating meaningful connections with customers whose world was rapidly changing required brands to constantly reconsider and re-evaluate their media mix to remain relevant.;The home environment and gifting became a critical component of the holiday strategy to ensure sales remained strong in a challenging year. And, according to;Kantars;cross-channel study1,;physical media is among the most impactful touchpoints for food and drink.

    With pandemic lockdowns in place, most brands turned to digital communication. That presented an opportunity for Absolut.

    We thought it was a good time to test and learn.

    Anika Sharma

    Assistant Brand Manager,

    Corby Spirit and Wine

    With other channels clogged, trying something new namely a print message let the company stand out.

    For this special edition bottle, Corby targeted urban millennials.;Research;proves that groups respond well to;direct;mail if its relevant to them.3;Were not used to getting mail; its all digital culture for us, says Sharma. She also knows that campaigns that use physical and digital outreach drive higher recall. It was the perfect time to kick it in an old-school kind of way, she says.

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