Absolut Vodka is a Swedish brand of vodka, owned by V&S Group, and produced at their facilities near Åhus, Scania in southern Sweden.

Building on a four century tradition of producing Vodka at Åhus, Absolut was introduced in 1879 by the entrepreneur Lars Olsson Smith. Absolut is the third largest brand of spirits in the world after Bacardi and Smirnoff, marketed in 126 countries. The largest export market is the United States where close to 73 million litres were sold in 2003. More than 40% of the imported vodka in the USA is Absolut.

Much of Absolut's fame is due to its long-running advertising campaign. Started around 1980, and with more than 1000 ads, the ad campaign is the longest running ever. Many of the ads are quite clever, always featuring an Absolut bottle-shaped object in the center and a title "ABSOLUT ____." at the bottom. ABSOLUT MANHATTAN., for example, features an aerial photo of Manhattan where Central Park is the shape of an Absolut bottle.

External links

• ABSOLUT.COM - The official site for Absolut Vodka
• AbsolutAds.com - A frequently-updated site for collectors with latest whereabouts from all over the world with more than 1000 images in the gallery.
• AbsolutCollectors.com - Popular site for Collectors of Absolut Vodka advertisements
• Absolut Ad - Website with the best Absolut Vodka ads gallery on the net.