Absolut unveils most radical bottle redesign to date

Absolut Vodka has announced the biggest refresh to its branding since its launch in the USA more than 40 years ago.

The new look encompasses a number of textural features reinforcing the brand's connection to its hometown, Åhus in Sweden. Despite its enormous global presence, the brand still produces all its components within a 75-mile radius of its base.

These new textural features include: adding the address of the original distillery to the new paper label; adding the name of brand founder Lars Olsson Smith to the medallion; and embossing "Country of Sweden" onto the glass.

It has also included a message on the bottle reading, "One Source. One Community. One Small Village in the South of Sweden", alongside an illustration of the original distillery.

While the design has been updated, the bottle shape - inspired by 18th-century apothecary bottles - has been retained.

Of the new bottle design, Absolut's global vice president of marketing Charl Bassil said: "Our new look reflects the efforts we put into the making of our vodka. 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.

"Our new bottles still hold the same well-balanced vodka they always have, but celebrate the nature and craft that make Absolut Vodka perfect for everything it mixes with."

Elin Furelid, global head of product portfolio and design at Absolut, added: "We were keen to capture our rich, quality story and make that clearer on the bottle, signposting to what makes our vodka unique. We have of course kept the most important design elements that make Absolut, Absolut."

The new-look Absolut bottles will be available in the US from September 2021 onwards and continue to roll out globally, subject to current stock inventories.

6 September 2021 - Bethany Whymark