The Gourmet Gazette takes you on a little armchair traveling to Sweden with this focus on Absolut vodka. Åhus, Sweden is a small, beautifully preserved medieval town in southern Sweden which is sleepy most of the year except for the summer months when people flock to the beaches on the Baltic Sea and abundant nature in the region. It is also where the celebrated Absolu vodka has been distilled since 1979. The smooth, luxury vodka is also environmentally friendly. The company reached its goal of zero waste in 2020 and is aiming for zero impact in carbon for 2030. The bottles, made from 45% recycled glass, are fashioned in the local glass works, the Limmared Factory, while the winter wheat is cultivated and rigorously selected in the surrounding Skåne County called Scania County in English. The winter wheat is a vigorous cereal naturally rich in starch making for a rich beverage when distilled into vodka.

Absolut works with 400 local farmers purchasing between 15 and 20% of the wheat harvested in the region. While the spring water used in Absolut vodka comes from an ultra-pure source between 70 and 140 ewer underground. The water source is sustainably managed by local businesses and the Swedish government. And this spring water and wheat is why Absolut vodka translates into the consistent quality found in the 600,000 bottles the company produce everyday. The distillery operates at 85% on renewable energy sources.

Eel parties are popular in this eel-fishing region especially in August and September, when eel in diverse preparations are eaten copiously, preferably in an eel hut, and washed down with the Absolut vodka or schnapps. ©The Gourmet Gazette
http://www.absolut.com/