Oak-aged vodka goes into US airports

Absolut has officially unveiled an oak-influenced vodka which it has called Amber after the colour the spirit turns following contact with wood.

Absolut Amber has an 40% abv and US$30 rrp

Created by exposing vodka to a blend of Swedish, American and Bourbon oak casks which is then blended with an oak-macerated spirit, the new product has a natural amber appearance, and is described as having “a mellow and oaky taste.”

“While experimenting with resting Absolut in oak, we explored various methods of barrel-aging, types of oak, and ways to use macerations, before landing on the perfect blend,” says Master Blender Per Hermansson.

The launch of Absolut Amber follows the unveiling of another oak-aged white spirit by parent company Pernod Ricard – in May this year the group launched Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve gin, which is aged in Jean de Lillet oak barrels to give the product a light gold hue.

While Burrough’s Reserve has an recommended retail price of £69 in the UK, Absolut Amber sells for $30 in the US for one litre of the spirit.

Absolut Amber went on sale in the US travel retail sector on 1 September, and can now be found in JFK, Miami and Dallas international airports.

However, the new product is not the world’s first oak-aged vodka. In the UK, Southwold Brewery and distiller Adnams produces the Cooper House North Cove Oak-Aged vodka, which is matured in European oak barrels and retails for £28 (see image, right).