Absolut Vodka tweaks bottle design to highlight ingredient provenance and brand heritage

10 Sep 2021 --- Absolut Vodka is unveiling a new bottle design, marking the brand’s most extensive refresh since its US launch in 1979. Maintaining its iconic shape inspired by an 18th-century apothecary bottle, the new look reflects the vodka’s production and ingredient provenance.

The brand’s Swedish heritage – influenced by the community surrounding its production and distillation in and around Åhus, Sweden – gives a nod to the vodka’s craftsmanship. This is also the first time Absolut Vodka features a paper label on the bottle. 

Innova Market Insights’ leading industry trend for 2020, “Storytelling: Winning With Words,” reveals how consumer interest in discovering the story behind their foods has risen further and is increasingly influencing purchasing decisions. 

Consumers’ attention is piqued by opportunities to learn more about how products are produced, which promotes an understanding of product benefits and helps build brand trust and recognition. 

“We were keen to capture our rich, quality story and make that clearer on the bottle, signposting to what makes our vodka unique,” comments Elin Furelid, global head of product portfolio and design at Absolut. 

For the first time, Absolut Vodka adds a paper label that highlights ingredient provenance, production details and the brand founder’s original signature.“We’ve taken a look at ourselves and have landed in a place where we’ve kept our distinct DNA, communicating our provenance, heritage and authenticity more clearly than ever before,” adds Charl Bassil, global vice president of Absolut’s marketing.

Inking the details 
To highlight Absolut Vodka’s roots, “Swedish Vodka” is written in black cursive script across the bottle’s front, accentuating the “human touch.” 

The embossed lettering “Country of Sweden” is further added to emphasize the regional nature of the vodka’s production.

Adding Lars Olsson Smith’s signature on the medallion, the quality seal of the bottle pays tribute to the Absolut Vodka founder’s role in vodka distillation and helps the brand nurture his legacy.

Furthermore, the bottle now also includes the address of the original distillery on the front label to provide transparency about its location – tapping into Innova Market Insights’ Top Trend for 2021, “Transparency Triumphs.”

The vodka is rooted in its community of farmers, distillers and bottlers who blend winter wheat with pristine water from a local deep well. 

The embossed lettering “Country of Sweden” is further added to emphasize the regional nature of the vodka’s production.Up to 10 percent of all wheat in Skane is purchased for Absolut Vodka, and the brand works with around 400 farmers in Sweden, producing everything within a 75-mile radius. This local emphasis is depicted via the white embossed illustration of the Åhus village skyline.

Moving forward
The new design was created together with design agency Brand Union Sthlm and realized in close collaboration between Brand Union, Destrito and its glassworks partner Ardagh group. 

The new bottles will be available in the US from this month and will continue to roll out globally, depending on current stock inventories.

In other bottle redesign moves from Absolut Vodka, the brand launched a paper bottle in the UK and Sweden in February. The same month, it also achieved 50 percent recycled material in its iconic clear glass bottle, four years ahead of schedule.

By Anni Schleicher