🥃 Absolut

Absolut is a Swedish vodka made from winter wheat and water in and around the small town of Åhus in southern Sweden, and one of the best-known vodkas on a bar shelf in the UK and the US. The classic Absolut Vodka has 40% vol. (80 proof). The brand has belonged to the French group Pernod Ricard since 2008, which calls it the world's leading premium vodka. ¹³⁶

L. O. Smith and 1879. According to the brand owner, the vodka, first called Absolut Pure Vodka, was made in 1879 at Reymersholme in Stockholm by Lars Olsson Smith, using a continuous distillation process. The company says Smith wanted a better vodka free from fusel alcohol, to improve public health, and cared for the well-being of his staff; his portrait is on the seal of today's bottle. ⁶

A bottle like a medicine jar. The apothecary-shaped bottle was inspired by an 18th-century Swedish medicine jar. In 1985 Andy Warhol became the first artist to paint it; more than 500 collaborations with artists followed, and over 850 Absolut-branded works of art are now kept in the Spritmuseum in Stockholm. ⁶

Going global. In 1979 Absolut began exporting to the United States. The "Absolut Perfection" campaign started in 1980 and ran to some 1,500 adverts over 25 years, each a pun on the word "Absolut" with a striking image. In 1981 the brand placed its first adverts in gay magazines, and in 1989 it first sponsored GLAAD. Today Absolut is sold in over 140 markets, more than 12 million 9-litre cases a year. ⁶

Flavours. In 1986 came Absolut Peppar, which the company calls the first flavoured vodka exported to the United States; Citron followed in 1988, Kurant in 1992, Mandrin in 1999, Vanilia in 2003 and Raspberri in 2004. ⁶ Under EU law these belong to the separate category "flavoured vodka": its main taste differs from that of the raw materials, and a sweetened one must contain less than 100 g of sweetening products per litre. ⁴

Wheat and water. The vodka has two main ingredients: water from a local deep well and winter wheat from nearby farms. ⁶ About 300 local farms supply the wheat, and the water comes from one of northern Europe's biggest natural aquifers. ⁷ The company's Wheat Sustainability Programme has run for over two decades; through "Absolut Farmers", demonstration farms share methods for biodiversity, nutrient efficiency and crop protection, and the brand knows exactly where its wheat comes from. ⁸

One distillery. All Absolut vodka is made at one distillery in Nöbbelöv, close to Åhus, and the brand makes its raw spirit itself instead of buying it. Production exceeds 100 million litres a year. Since September 2024 the distillery has run without fossil fuels: about 92% of its energy was already certified green electricity, and the last small share of fossil gas was replaced with bio-LPG. ⁷

What is in the bottle. According to Pernod Ricard, Absolut Vodka consists of water and grain distillate; 30 ml contains 66 kcal and 9.5 g of alcohol, with no fat, carbohydrates, sugars or protein. ² Under EU rules vodka must have at least 37.5% vol. and may contain up to 8 g of sweetening products per litre. ⁴ The brand also tests paper-based packaging: a paper bottle was trialled at Tesco in the UK in 2023, and a paper-based cap in 2025. ⁹

Why it matters to you. The plain vodka and the flavoured versions are different products: check the label for "flavoured vodka" and its flavour. ⁴ The calorie figure on the brand page helps you compare: 66 kcal per 30 ml comes almost entirely from alcohol. ² At 40% vol. this is a strong drink, so do not drive after it; WHO notes that no level of alcohol consumption is risk-free. ⁵