Absolut

Absolut at a Glance

Absolut has 9 distinct products with 36 total TTB label approvals, including Vodka - Lemon Flavored, Vodka - Lime Flavored, Vodka - Orange Flavored. Labels approved between 2020-05-15 and 2026-07-21. Label origins on file: Sweden.

At a Glance data sourced from public TTB records.

Absolut Vodka History: From Reimersholme to Åhus

Absolut Vodka was launched at a trade fair in New Orleans in spring 1979, at a time when the factory in Åhus, Sweden, had been shut down, The Absolut Company says. The export idea came from Lars Lindmark, CEO of Vin & Sprit, the public company responsible for wine and spirit retail in Sweden, by the company's account.

L.O. Smith and Absolut rent brännvin

The seal on every bottle shows L.O. Smith, who set out to make an absolutely pure vodka, The Absolut Company says. Lars Olsson Smith was born on 12 October 1836 in Kiaby, north of Kristianstad, Centrum för Näringslivshistoria records.

Smith bought a factory on Reymersholme in Stockholm in April 1868 and registered the trademark Absolut Rent Brännvin the following year, the same history centre says. Spritmuseum dates one of Sweden's first hot-rectification plants on Reimersholme to 1869. The fusel-free brännvin Smith launched there was first named Tiodubbelt renat brännvin and took the name Absolut rent brännvin some years later, in the museum's account. He died poor in 1913, Centrum för Näringslivshistoria records.

How Sweden's Vin & Sprit built an export vodka

The name was shortened from Absolute to Absolut, the Swedish spelling, because an adjective like absolute could not be registered as a United States trademark, The Absolut Company says. Gunnar Broman of the agency Carlsson & Broman found the model for the bottle, a pharmacy bottle, in an antique shop in Stockholm's Old Town, in the company's telling. Al Singer, CEO of Carillon Importers, then showed interest in importing the brand to the United States.

In April 1979, 700 crates holding 6,300 liters were shipped to Boston, the company recounts. Over the next ten years the Åhus factory tripled its number of employees. Growing exports made it possible to build a new factory in Åhus. The bottle won first prize from the Art Directors Club in New York in December 1980, and Andy Warhol decided to paint it in 1985, with Absolut Warhol presented in 1986.

Where Absolut Vodka is made

In a 2016 release, The Absolut Company said the Åhus distillery was completed in 1906 and that every drop of Absolut Vodka is produced in Åhus.

Vodka has been produced in Åhus for more than 100 years, Absolut's website says. The brand uses only winter wheat from the area around Åhus and draws its water from its own wells more than 140 meters deep, the site adds. The Absolut Company puts its use at about 100,000 tons of winter wheat a year, at least 10 percent of the wheat harvested at roughly 400 farms near the distillery.

Who owns Absolut Vodka

Pernod Ricard announced in 2008 that it had signed a contract with the Kingdom of Sweden to acquire the Vin & Sprit Group, owner of Absolut. At announcement it put the total enterprise value at €5,626 million and said Absolut sold around 11 million 9-litre cases in 2007.

The acquisition was completed after the European Commission authorised it on 17 July 2008, Pernod Ricard said, and The Absolut Company was being set up with worldwide responsibility for Absolut, including production. V&S's distribution agreements for Stolichnaya vodka outside Russia would end, the same release said. Pernod Ricard also agreed to pay Fortune Brands US$230 million to end Future Brands' US distribution of Absolut early, effective 1 October 2008, The Moodie Davitt Report reported.

TTB label approvals on file

In the BUY.VODKA TTB snapshot, Absolut approvals dated 15 May 2020 to 7 September 2022 list Absolut Spirits Co. / Pernod Ricard USA of New York as the filer, and some later approvals list Pernod Ricard USA. Each approval appears in the TTB label records for Absolut.

Sources

• The Absolut Company. “The story of the Absolut bottle and brand.” Undated. https://theabsolutcompany.com/legacy/post/lo-smith-english/the-story-of-the-absolut-bottle-and-brand/
• Pernod Ricard Sweden (Mynewsdesk). “Pernod Ricard förvärvar Vin & Sprit - Blir ”co-leader” på vin- och spritmarknaden globalt.” 31 March 2008. https://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/pernod_ricard_sweden/pressreleases/pernod-ricard-foervaervar-vin-sprit-blir-co-leader-paa-vin-och-spritmarknaden-globalt-204716
• V&S Group via Cision. “Pernod Ricard's Completed Acquisition of V&S.” 24 July 2008. https://news.cision.com/v-s-group/r/pernod-ricard-s-completed-acquisition-of-v-s,c369369
• Absolut (absolut.com). “Absolut One Community (One source).” Undated. https://www.absolut.com/en-us/absolut-one-source-story/
• The Absolut Company (theabsolutgroup.com). “Our wheat sourcing and cultivation concept.” 7 October 2020. https://theabsolutgroup.com/story/wheat-cultivation-concept/
• Centrum för Näringslivshistoria (foretagshistoria.se). Pelle Berglund. “Mannen på sigillet.” 8 June 2017. https://foretagshistoria.se/foretagen/mannen-pa-sigillet/
• Spritmuseum. “Svenskt brännvin - från medicin till monopol.” Undated. https://spritmuseum.se/kunskap-historia/dryckernas-historia/svenskt-brannvin-fran-medicin-till-monopol/
• Restaurant News Resource. “Pernod Ricard acquires Vin & Sprit and becomes the co-leader of the global wine and spirits industry.” 15 April 2008. https://www.restaurantnewsresource.com/article32065.html
• The Absolut Company (Mynewsdesk). “Absolut Vodka to open visitors centre in Åhus.” 9 May 2016. https://www.mynewsdesk.com/the-absolut-company/pressreleases/absolut-vodka-to-open-visitors-centre-in-aahus-1398392
• The Moodie Davitt Report. “Pernod Ricard poised to take over Absolut vodka distribution in the key US market.” 29 August 2008. https://moodiedavittreport.com/pernod-ricard-poised-to-take-over-absolut-vodka-distribution-in-the-key-us-market-290808/
• TTB Public COLA Registry via BUY.VODKA data snapshot (src/data/brands.json and labels.json, last updated 4 September 2026). “Absolut” label approvals. Local read-only query, 8 October 2026.

Produced at Multiple Facilities

• Connoisseur Wines & Spirits California, Connoisseur Wine Logistics West LLC
• Pernod Ricard USA, Pernod Ricard USA, LLC
• B. Fernandez & Hnos., INC.
• Pernod Ricard USA, Pernod Ricard USA, LLC

Related Brands

• Svedka also from Sweden
• Purity also from Sweden
• Kattegat also from Sweden
• No.1 also from Sweden
• Sture also from Sweden
• Muscle also makes Vodka - Other Flavored
• Veil also makes Vodka - Other Flavored
• Stoli also makes Vodka - Other Flavored
• Heritage Distilling CO also makes Vodka - Other Flavored
• Holla also makes Vodka - Other Flavored

Related Questions

• Where is Absolut vodka made?
• Who makes Absolut vodka and who owns the brand?
• What proof is Absolut vodka?

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