Absolut Vodka boosts flavor portfolio in second chapter of its restage

True to fruit flavors and new bottle design cater to evolving audience tastes.

14 februari 2022: Absolut Vodka is upgrading and enhancing its flavor portfolio as it embarks on the next phase of its mission to drive innovation in quality vodka. The second chapter of the restage, which follows its significant design update in 2021, combines Absolut Vodka’s crafting expertise with world-class flavorists to bring a new harmonized range of fresh, true to the fruit flavors to market.

A design icon and leader in vodka innovation since 1979, Absolut Vodka, which is still today made in its home of Ahus in southern Sweden, was the first brand to export clear flavored vodka to the US and helped to define the modern vodka category with Absolut Peppar and Absolut Citron – the first ever clear flavored commercial vodkas. In the 1980s, the brand helped supercharge cocktails by making Bloody Mary and Cosmopolitan as known and loved as they are today.

These new updates center on creating a clean, true to fruit taste, made to enhance any mixer into the perfectly balanced drink, whether prepared by professional bartenders or at home by the consumer themselves. The fresh bottle update clearly signposts the new taste portfolios alongside Absolut original. They include:

Introduction of updated liquids for the Mandarin, Vanilla, Mango, Citron, Peach, Raspberri, Pears and Peppar flavors but still developed with natural ingredients and with no sugar added. Absolut Vodka’s team of sensory experts and flavorists have optimized ABV levels for each flavor profile. The fresh top notes of the citrus range are underpinned by a slightly higher ABV-level of 40%, while the sweet and spicy flavors stand out better with a lower ABV-level of 38%.
Introduction of brand-new flavor – Absolut Passionfruit an exotic addition to the range.
Artistic bottle update to help consumers explore the flavors: an updated color palette and scheme, including artistic brush strokes on the back of the bottle to help consumers find, trial and experiment with new flavors. The overall harmonization of taste and design allows for maximum standout on shelf.
Showcasing the new design update, which pays homage to the Absolut Vodka’s quality credentials of provenance, heritage and authenticity, and harmonizing the design across all 12 flavors in the range: Absolut Vodka, Absolut Mandarin, Absolut Vanilla, Absolut Mango, Absolut Citron, Absolut Grapefruit, Absolut Peach, Absolut Watermelon, Absolut Lime, Absolut Raspberri, Absolut Pears, Absolut Passionfruit and Absolut Peppar.

Elin Furelid, Head of Product Portfolio and Innovation, Absolut explains: “With this re-design of our flavoured vodkas we designed with the intention to stand out as a range, a family of products, meaning that whilst we let Absolut Vodka have its own identity as a clearly unflavoured vodka we’ve used a combination of colours that match the actual fruit and added an artistic brushstroke on the back of the bottle creating the perfect canvas for the flavourful vodka itself.”

Daniel Nilsson, Manager of Sensory Design & Strategy, Absolut said: “Our key focus is to uphold the quality of Absolut vodka as we continue to innovate and lead from the front. We do this with expertise and passion – to craft Absolut Vodka’s premium quality end-product, there must only be two components: the spirit and the natural flavor. The spirit base must be of the highest quality, allowing the natural flavors to come through in the final taste.”

Adding to this, Ricardo Dynan, Absolut Vodka Global Brand Ambassador at The Absolut Company said: “Absolut Vodka has had strong links to nightlife, culture, the arts and creativity since its inception, and this new flavor portfolio has been developed with the evolving tastes of its eclectic audience in mind. The latest flavor range offers a clean and real taste, developed to cater for the rise in vodka drinkers who want their drink to stay as ‘true to the fruit’ as possible. The upgraded portfolio offers a quality mix of flavors to suit all tastes and occasions – born to mix and perfect for mixing every time.”

The launch campaign, BORN TO MIX, heroes both Absolut Vodka’s values, and the spirit itself. Mixing is central to the brand’s heritage and DNA. Absolut Vodka is designed to be mixed and is crafted to elevate the taste of any drink it is made with, with the belief that whether it is drinks, ideas, or people, life is most interesting when we mix things up.

The new Absolut Vodka flavors have started to ship to markets and will continue to roll-out globally depending on current stock inventories.

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the No.2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits with consolidated sales of €10,701 million in FY22. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has developed through organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard, which owns 16 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry, including: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard’s brands are distributed across 160+ markets and by its own salesforce in 73 markets. The Group’s decentralised organisation empowers its 19,000 employees to be true on-the-ground ambassadors of its vision of “Créateurs de Convivialité.” As reaffirmed by the Group’s strategic plan, “Transform and Accelerate,” deployed in 2018, Pernod Ricard’s strategy focuses on investing in long-term, profitable growth for all stakeholders. The Group remains true to its three founding values: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust, and a strong sense of ethics, as illustrated by the 2030 Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), “Good times from a good place.” In recognition of Pernod Ricard’s strong commitment to sustainable development and responsible consumption, it has received a Gold rating from Ecovadis. Pernod Ricard is also a United Nation’s Global Compact LEAD company. Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN Code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices.

About The Absolut Company

The Absolut Company has the worldwide responsibility for the production, packaging innovation and strategic marketing of Absolut Vodka, Malibu and Kahlúa.

Malibu is the number one rum-based coconut spirit in the world.

Absolut Vodka is one of the world’s top ten international spirits brands. Every bottle of Absolut Vodka comes from one source, Åhus in southern Sweden.

Kahlúa coffee liqueur is the world leader in its category.

The Absolut Company portfolio also includes Åhus Akvavit. The visitor center, Absolut Home, located next to the main production site for Absolut Vodka, was opened in 2018. The head office is located in Stockholm, Sweden. Chairman and CEO is Stéphanie Durroux. The Absolut Company is a part of Pernod Ricard, the world’s second largest wine and spirits producer (source: IWSR).