The Absolut Group

Plymouth Gin's fossil-free milestone is just one step it has taken to reduce its footprint. While its distillery may date back centuries, its operations today are powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity having built a new boiler house and replacing its natural gas-run still and domestic boilers with electric boilers. But that is not the only step Plymouth Gin has taken to reduce its footprint – from simply changing all its light bulbs from fluorescent to LED to not sending waste to landfills. Meanwhile, waste botanicals are decomposed at a biogas plant to create energy, which is then used by power plants in the UK. Initiatives with packaging are also making a difference. Dividers have been removed from cases, while Plymouth Gin’s distinctively shaped glass bottles are 15 per cent lighter (saving around 60 tonnes of carbon a year) than they used to be. A few years ago, Plymouth removed all single-use plastic, introducing paper labels and an updated cap from PVC to recyclable PET. Plymouth Gin has been made from the Blackfriars distillery, the oldest working distillery in England, since 1793. Based on the coast in the historical town of Plymouth in southwestern England, the gin is still hand-crafted and batch-distilled, using the soft water from the rivers of neighbouring Dartmoor. “The oldest part of the distillery is five centuries old, the newest part around 70 years old. This means that we need to adapt a historic building to make our operations more sustainable,” says Sean Harrison, Master Distiller at Plymouth Gin. #PlymouthGin

Meet Maria Svensson, Production Coordinator for Safety at the Absolut Vodka Nöbbelöv distillery, With more than 20 years of experience in production operations, Maria is responsible for ensuring a safe work environment at the distillery to prevent employees or contractors from injuring themselves at work. Could you explain your role at TAG? As Production Coordinator for Safety, my role is to coordinate the various efforts for maintenance or changes in production, always putting safety first and encouraging employees to stop, think and act in a safe way. I am also a Champion in our Care by Learning programme, training my colleagues and supporting them with risk assessment, for example. What does conviviality mean at your workplace? We’re a small group of about 50 people at the distillery in Nöbbelöv, so we know everyone. We meet daily, whether it’s to solve a problem, have a coffee in the canteen or just a short chat. We feel like a family where we care about each other, and we can always be ourselves. What’s an exciting project you worked on recently? We constantly improve the safety at the distillery to ensure no employees or contractors get injured by accidents. We want everyone to change their mindset to find risks before an accident occurs: go the extra mile to avoid it happening. The Care by Learning programme teaches us about this change. I’ve been a part of it since the start. It takes time to alter behaviour, so we must remind ourselves of risks. One accident is always one too many! What’s your proudest moment at TAG? I always feel proud! We’re a step ahead, not least in sustainability, with our circular mindset constantly in focus. We’re one of the most energy-efficient distilleries in the world and are constantly progressing to become even better. It makes me proud that TAG takes responsibility: our distillery in Nöbbelöv is already fossil-free!

About last night: Absolut’s top four moments from this week’s Bartenders’ Choice Awards. From raising a glass to the next generation of bartenders, to iconic martinis and unforgettable meals, this year’s BCA was a masterclass in craft, creativity, and community. Absolut was proud to celebrate not just where the industry is today – but where it’s going next. A huge congratulations to the 2025 BCA Rising Stars – an award proudly sponsored by Absolut to spotlight the bold, creative voices shaping the future of bartending. These are the names to watch, and Absolut is honoured to support their journey: 🏅 Anton Polbring (Sweden) 🏅 Hanna Monslaup (Norway) 🏅 Helene Rosenfeldt Pedersen (Denmark) 🏅 Helga Signý (Iceland) 🏅 Saana Maaskola (Finland) At the heart of it all? Advocacy. Rooted in Absolut’s identity from the very beginning, advocacy isn’t just about recognition - it’s a longstanding commitment to building deep, lasting relationships with the trade and cocreating a stronger, more sustainable future. 👉 Click through for Absolut’s top four BCA highlights below. 🔗 Read our full BCA wrap-up in this interview with Absolut’s Global Senior Brand Manager: Advocacy, Claes Ljungberg and Alex Kratena: https://lnkd.in/dPVigVYx #Absolut

Annie Atkins: I now understand what makes MONKEY 47 special… Annie Atkins was our “dream choice” to collaborate with on MONKEY 47's brand refresh. Besides admitting that she likes a good gin (and so was aware of MONKEY 47’s craftsmanship and obsessive attention to detail), Annie immersed herself in the project with an adventure to the Black Forest. Annie’s colourful and whimsical design paints a revelatory world of invention filled with architectural optical illusions and clever oxymorons – where contradictions and unlikely combinations have meaning. “Visiting the distillery was such a turning point – it gave me a visceral understanding of what makes MONKEY 47 special,” says Annie. Born and raised in Dolwyddelan, Northern Wales, Annie gained widespread recognition for her graphic design contributions to Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel", which won the Academy Award for Best Production Design in 2014. In between her busy schedule, Annie found some time to give us some insight behind her MONKEY 47 Brand World design: https://lnkd.in/dBvpZcUv #Monkey47

Commemorating the remarkable 30-year legacy of Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal. Founded by Ron Cooper, the brand has redefined the world of mezcal. With the support of the early partner Steve Olson, it has celebrated the craftsmanship, authenticity, and sense of community at the heart of the tradition. Today, as we celebrate this significant milestone, we embark on a year filled with exciting worldwide events and activities to honour our Liquid Art. This anniversary marks yet another illustrious year, as it continues to cement its position as the preeminent mezcal brand globally. Del Maguey has garnered an impressive array of accolades, including the prestigious titles of IWSC’s Best Agave Producer and overall Outstanding Spirits Producer 2024, as well as the coveted Trophy for Best Mezcal for Del Maguey Tobalá at the International Spirits Challenge 2024. The brand has also been recognised in the Drinks International Annual Brands Report as the Best Mezcal for Margaritas, Bestselling Mezcal, Top 10 Trending Mezcal, and Top 5 Bartenders’ Choice in the All-Time Leagues. We invite you to join us in celebrating this extraordinary journey and raising a glass to Del Maguey's unparalleled success in the world of mezcal. Here's to three decades of excellence, innovation, and dedication to preserving the rich heritage of artisanal mezcal. Cheers to the next chapter of Del Maguey's pioneering legacy! #DelMagueyMezcal

Kahlúa goes undercover this St. Patrick’s Day with sneakily disguised pint glasses for Espresso Martini lovers. The world’s leading coffee liqueur has created the ‘Schneaky’ Espresso Martini glass – to cleverly disguise the dark rich cocktail with its frothy top as a pint of stout. The specially designed, hand-blown glass was created following research revealing that two in three cocktail lovers feel “St. Patrick’s Day pressure” to drink stout – even if they don’t savour its flavour. Following the huge success of last year's St. Patrick’s Day campaign – St. Patrick’s Day called, it’s bored of stout – Irish TikTok sensations Tadgh & Derry are joining forces with Kahlúa again. They join 3bucksleft in a cheeky video revealing the Schneaky Espresso Martini glass in all its glory. You can watch the video here: https://lnkd.in/d2yWVTYx And so, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Kahlúa is giving away free Espresso Martinis in the ‘sneaky’ glasses at two pubs – the Howl At The Moon pub in Hoxton, London and O’Locclainn’s bar in County Clare, Ireland, to punters who have the secret code word. Slainté! #Kahlúa

Summer is calling – and Beefeater has answered with a refreshing new Grapefruit Spirit Drink. Beefeater Grapefruit is the latest addition to the brand’s lineup: a bold and zesty new spirit inspired by the evolving tastes of consumers and a deep-rooted legacy of craftsmanship. Distilled using Beefeater’s traditional copper stills, this new expression builds on the classic London Dry recipe, incorporating natural flavour to elevate its bright and refreshing notes. Launching in key Nordic and Eastern European markets, Beefeater Grapefruit is perfect for a crisp gin and tonic or a Paloma-style cocktail – the ultimate companions for golden sunsets, warm summer nights and long, leisurely days. We caught up with Caroline Watt, Global Innovation Manager for Gins to talk about: 🍊 The inspiration and craftsmanship behind Beefeater Grapefruit 🍹 The perfect summer serves – whether you’re a gin lover of just getting started ⚖️ How tradition and innovation came together in this unique spirit 🌍 Where you can get your hands on Beefeater Grapefruit Read the full interview with Caroline here: https://lnkd.in/dwHDmNHN #Beefeater

Championing ocean conservation: Plymouth Gin’s community-driven partnership with global charity Ocean Conservation Trust (OCT) is helping safeguard one of the most precious habitats in our oceans – seagrass. Over the past two years, Plymouth Gin has supported the OCT regeneration of an area of seagrass the size of 20 football pitches just off the coast near its distillery. Each year, it has marked the partnership with specially designed, limited-edition bottles and donates £1 to the cause for each bottle sold in the UK. Seagrass plays a vital role in our seas by helping to maintain a healthy marine environment – providing food and shelter for a wide variety of marine animals from fish to shellfish to seahorses. Yet, globally, seagrasses have been disappearing at an alarming speed, with close to a third of known seagrass meadows now lost. Toni Ingram, Global Brand Director for Plymouth Gin, says: “Replanting of seagrass is trying to unwind some of the damage that's been done. If we can get back to where we were in the 1960s, we'd be putting a lot back. It is a great carbon neutraliser, which helps in the battle against climate change too.” The OCT’s ‘Blue Meadows’ project in Falmouth is aiming to protect around 700 hectares (equating to 10 per cent of all UK seagrass meadows), over the next five years. “If it wasn’t for businesses like Plymouth Gin supporting our charity our efforts would not be as powerful as they are today,” says Phillipa Le Grys-Revest, Head of Marketing at the OCT. Read https://lnkd.in/dnhRFWmc for more on Plymouth Gin’s seagrass project, cleaning beaches and a previous initiative with British TV adventurer Ben Fogle.

International Women’s Day: A call to drive gender equality for a more inclusive future. Tomorrow, 8 March, is International Women’s Day and the call to #AccelerateAction is louder than ever. Women make up 42% of the global workforce – yet hold less than 32% of senior leadership positions. The gap is real, and so is the need for action. 💡But what exactly does meaningful progress look like? 💡How do we move beyond corporate commitments to real cultural change? To find out, we sat down with Kerstin Lindström, VP of Human Resources and Luciana Bosignoli, head of HRBP and L&D for The Absolut Group. Swipe through as they discuss the strategies, leadership commitments and cultural shifts needed to drive real, lasting change. Read the full interview here 👉https://lnkd.in/dcx9ybMu

Meet Herman Nilsson, Bottling Line Manager at The Absolut Company.   Herman has been working for The Absolut Company for almost 25 years. He started first as a temporary worker, then moved his way up through the ranks in different roles before becoming a line manager in 2016.   When he’s not busy making sure things run smoothly as Bottling Line Manager for the Åhus operations team, Herman relaxes by riding his motorbike, cooking or playing video games with his two sons.   What is your proudest moment at The Absolut Group?   I’m proud when I see how my operators develop and succeed in their roles. When everyone does their part to deliver a good result. We can have bad days where things go wrong, but when everyone still does what they can to contribute I feel proud.   And of course, you always feel proud when you get questions about Absolut from people outside the company!    Can you tell us about an exciting project you have worked on?   Over the past six months I’ve been working on starting up our new line, and creating the team that will run it. It has been interesting and educational.   Starting up something this big is not easy – everyone works their hardest to make it a success, from suppliers and project managers, to the operators who will run it.   How does the idea of conviviality manifest itself in your work?   One of the best things about my workplace is how everyone works together to solve any problems that arise. We don't have a hierarchical environment, and we all respect everyone's contributions.