ABSOLUT and TABASCO® Brand are heating up the global spirits scene with the launch of a new spicy vodka, ABSOLUT® TABASCO™. Now available in the U.S. and rolling out across 50+ markets worldwide, this bold innovation comes from two iconic industry leaders who are redefining flavor.
Crafted by fusing ABSOLUT with a unique and completely natural essence created from the fermented, aged red pepper mash used to make TABASCO® Sauce, ABSOLUT® TABASCO™ delivers the distinctive heat and aroma of the world’s most famous pepper sauce in America’s #1 spirit brand, as voted by consumers.1 The resulting vodka has no added sugar and, like ABSOLUT original, is gluten-free but now with just the right amount of spice.
“ABSOLUT has never been afraid to mix things up or shy away from bold moves and flavor,” said Caroline Begley, U.S. VP of Marketing for ABSOLUT. “This year we’re bringing the heat with the launch of ABSOLUT ® TABASCO™. We’re proud to partner with another icon and one of the world’s leading hot sauce brands to add a spicy kick to both classic and trending vodka cocktails.”
The new chili pepper flavored vodka comes amid strong and growing demand for spicy food and beverages. Global audiences have an adventurous thirst for bold drinks now more than ever, with sales of spicy vodka forecast to increase 27 percent by 2029.2 The latest innovation comes from the same brand that pioneered the flavored spirits space originally, while capturing the heat that spirit drinkers worldwide crave today.
From Bloody Marys to Spicy Lemonades or even as a shot, ABSOLUT ® TABASCO™ is the perfect way to add heat to any occasion: from game-day gatherings and convivial brunches to music festivals and nights out. Each ABSOLUT ® TABASCO™ serve delivers a smooth vodka accented with a heat that builds, leaving a warm, lingering tingle on the lips with every sip.
“With more than 150 years of pepper expertise, it only made sense for us at TABASCO® Brand to partner with ABSOLUT Vodka, another brand with a storied history that understands and cares about the craft that goes into its product,” said Christian Brown, Head of Agriculture and 6th generation family member, McIlhenny Company, makers of TABASCO® Brand products. “TABASCO® Brand exists to light up everything we touch, and the powerful blending of these two iconic liquids (and unforgettable bottles) is long overdue!”
The ABSOLUT ® TABASCO™ collaboration unites two best-in-class brands, each with more than a century of history and a legacy of authenticity and quality. Both ABSOLUT and TABASCO® were built on a foundation of locally sourced and crafted ingredients, and carry that tradition on through manufacturing processes still used today.
Founded in 1868 on Avery Island, Louisiana, where it is still produced today, TABASCO® Sauce uses just three ingredients: handpicked red peppers, salt and vinegar. Once mashed together, the red pepper mix is aged and fermented in reclaimed oak barrels for up to three years, creating the sauce’s subtle, unique flavor.
ABSOLUT Vodka is also made using just three natural ingredients – pristine water sourced from a local deep well, a proprietary strain of yeast and winter wheat grown on nearby farms. This premium vodka is only distilled in the small town of Åhus in Southern Sweden, using the same continuous distillation process introduced by its Swedish founder, L.O. Smith, in the 1870s.
The brands’ rich heritages come together through the design of the ABSOLUT ® TABASCO™ bottle. It seamlessly blends their iconic silhouettes into one; the bottle’s colors and diamond label shout TABASCO® Sauce, but the apothecary-inspired shape is unmistakably ABSOLUT.
“We are thrilled to bring the unique flavor of TABASCO® Sauce to ABSOLUT’s smooth, premium vodka,” said Kate Neuhaus, Director of Global Marketing Communications at McIlhenny Company. “We share a rich heritage and a commitment to quality – and this new partnership is a testament to both. It’s the perfect match. ABSOLUT® TABASCO™ is the purest form of heat ever bottled for adventurous flavor lovers everywhere!”
Inspired by ABSOLUT Vodka’s legendary print ads, the product will be supported with a new campaign by Wieden + Kennedy London. Dramatizing the heat of ABSOLUT® TABASCO™, the campaign creates a world for spicy cocktail drinkers where volcanoes erupt not with lava, but fiery Bloody Marys. Dramatic, real volcanic visuals, shot on location south of Reykjavík, Iceland, build upon the brand’s heritage of creating simple, witty, smile-in-the-mind work.
ABSOLUT® TABASCO™, now available at retailers and bars across the US, is bottled at 38% ABV. Visit Absolut.com and follow @AbsolutUS on Instagram to feel the heat.
Jason Price founded the mighty Icon Vs. Icon more than a decade ago. Along the way, he’s assembled an amazing group of like-minded individuals to spread the word on some of the most unique people and projects on the pop culture landscape.
