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The first vodka from sherry wine is born

A unique vodka, the first to be distilled from solera-aged oloroso sherry, has been launched by Williams & Humbert in equally unique packaging.

The Abyssal vodka is the result of a three year project by the research and development team at Bodegas Williams & Humbert, a winery with more than 130 years of expertise. The vodka was created using advanced distillation techniques combined with the use of time-honoured traditional processes. The same stills and methods were used as for the production of thes well-known and international award-winning Gran Duque de Alba solera ‘gran reserva’ brandy. The raw material from which Abyssal is produced - the oloroso sherry - undergoes a triple distillation to 74º to obtain the greatest possible purity.

Abyssal vodka is presented in an original, spherical, black glass ‘pearl’ bottle with a flip lid – “like a jewel”. The idea for the design came from the Williams & Humbert marketing department. Miguel Ángel Medina García de Polavieja, head of the department, was very clear that the design should be ground-breaking and have a geometric shape, because such shapes are “clear and tangible with no ambiguity and of great beauty”. This design follows the introduction of a cubic bottle for Gin Botanic by Williams & Humbert.

Miguel Ángel Medina told thedrinksreport.com: “Williams & Humbert products, our wines and spirits, possess great added value and we wish the packaging to express this difference, this quality. Our aim with these designs is to reflect that the content is produced under the premise of innovation and quality, two goals of Bodegas Williams & Humbert that define our corporate culture and our way of doing things. In short, our intention is for harmony and correspondence to exist between both container and content, for the packaging to provide a faithful reflection of an innovative product of extraordinary quality”.

The design for Abyssal vodka bottle took almost 3 years to complete. Once decided that the shape would be a sphere, different options were then studied for the top, closure and colour of the bottle until the final design was reached. This bottle, a stuning piece of black glass, is produced by a Spanish factory that specialises in products for the perfume trade, working with only the highest quality glass. The bottle is adorned with a piece of silvery metal, in the centre of which is the silhouette of a narwhal – a powerful and mythical sea animal with an imposing presence and bearing a very long horn which reminds many people of the horn of a unicorn.

“Williams & Humbert products, our wines and spirits, possess great added value and we wish the packaging to express this difference, this quality. Our aim with these designs is to reflect that the content is produced under the premise of innovation and quality, two goals of Bodegas Williams & Humbert that define our corporate culture and our way of doing things. In short, our intention is for harmony and correspondence to exist between both container and content, for the packaging to provide a faithful reflection of an innovative product of extraordinary quality,” explains Miguel Ángel Medina.

William & Humbert, a benchmark for traditional values in the ageing of great wines and liqueurs of international renown, is also a pioneer in the research and production of new products such as Crema de Alba, Botanic, Dos Maderas rum… consolidated projects that enjoy worldwide recognition.

Abyssal is recommended to be enjoyed straight, without ice, but always very cold. At the same time, it combines well with other flavours and is especially good in Bloody Mary and other cocktails such as Urban Deep Blue, El Moscow Mule, el Narwal Song and Abyssal Sunset.

This is a strong vodka, well-rounded and full-bodied, aged by the traditional solera process. It is pure, as required by the nature of what it is: a vodka. But despite that purity it has a distinctive flavour: rich, full-bodied and complex, but smooth and fine with certain spicy notes. With an exceptionally fresh and vibrant taste.

Abyssal vodka RRP €45 / US$55 for a 70cl bottle. Although only two weeks since its launch, Abyssal is already present in the German, Belgium and Danish markets, as well as Spain. The target, the company says, is to continue the expansion into the rest of Europe, and also be in the US by September.