Absolut Elyx Premium Swedish Vodka 70 cl 42,3%

A distillery in Skåne, a copper column built in 1921, and a team of people who still run it by hand. Temperature and flow rate are not set by a computer here. They are adjusted lever by lever, exactly as the generation before did it.

Expert description

Absolut Elyx is a Swedish Vodka distilled from single estate winter wheat in a 1921 copper still and bottled at 42.3%.

The column is called Column 51 and is built entirely from copper. It is operated manually by a small handful of people, led by Krister Asplund, and every handle, valve and level is set by hand. The copper is not merely construction material. It acts as a catalyst, capturing the heavier compounds in the spirit as it travels, and that accounts for much of the oily mouthfeel.

The wheat comes from a single estate, Råbelöf in southern Sweden, where wheat has been grown since the 1400s. Dry cold winters and long warm summers suit winter wheat, and the grain carries the starch balance the distillery is looking for. The water is drawn from a local aquifer.

Tasting notes

Nose

Clean and rich. Freshly baked bread and white chocolate sit on top, with a soft layer of cereal and mellow spice underneath.

Palate

Macadamia nuts and creamed cereal spread out, followed by white chocolate and buttery bread notes. The texture is thick without being cloying.

Finish

Rounded and mildly spiced with a fresh nuttiness. It lingers a long time and closes quietly.

Specifications

Name: Absolut Elyx
Distillery: Absolut Elyx
Region/Country: Åhus, Sweden
Type: Swedish Vodka
ABV: 42.3%
Size: 70 CL
Distillation method: Manually operated 1921 copper column
Serving suggestion: Over a single large ice cube, or in a Martini with a whisper of dry vermouth.

Flavour profile

Silky · Nutty · Bready · Mildly spiced

Did you know?

The copper inside Column 51 is consumed. Thousands of small copper packets sit within the column and are sacrificed as they pull unwanted compounds out of the spirit. They have to be replaced at intervals, because the metal itself is slowly eaten away by the process.

See our full range of Absolut

Listen to our podcast:

Frequently asked questions about Absolut Elyx

What separates Absolut Elyx from standard Absolut?

The copper column and the wheat. Elyx is distilled manually in a 1921 copper still and exclusively from winter wheat grown on one single estate, while the core range runs through modern automated columns. Elyx is also bottled at 42.3% instead of 40%.

Why does the copper matter?

Copper acts as a catalyst. It binds sulphur compounds and other heavy elements that would otherwise leave a sharp or metallic edge. The more contact the spirit has with copper, the softer the result — and in Column 51 the entire apparatus is made of it.

What does single estate mean?

That all of the wheat comes from one and the same property. Here it is Råbelöf in Skåne, where wheat has been grown since the 1400s. That gives a consistent raw material year after year, unlike grain bought in from many different suppliers.

How is it best enjoyed?

Over a single large ice cube, or in a Martini with very little vermouth. The texture is the whole point, and it shows best when no sugar or fruit juice is in the way. Avoid the deep freeze, since the cold shuts the nutty notes down. See more options among our Vodka brands.

Does it taste sweet?

Not in any technical sense, since no sugar is added. The impression of sweetness comes from the grain and from the fat mouthfeel, which the brain reads as softness. The dryness only reveals itself in the finish.

Is 42.3% noticeably stronger than 40%?

Yes, but not as heat. The extra strength carries more aromatic compounds and gives the spirit more body, which is exactly why that figure was chosen. You notice it as weight rather than as burn.

Who makes it?

Absolut Elyx is made in Åhus in Sweden, where Krister Asplund and a small team work the column by hand. They are among the very few people who still have the routine to run a manual still of that kind.