Finlandia Vodka
{{Short description|Finnish brand of vodka}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox Beverage
| name = Finlandia
| image = Finlandia_Classic_vodka.jpg
| image_size = 200
| caption = Finlandia Classic vodka
| type = Vodka
| abv = 37.5–40%
| proof = 80
| manufacturer = Brown Forman
| origin = Finland
| introduced = 1970
| discontinued =
| related = List of vodkas
}}
Finlandia is a brand of vodka produced in Finland. It is made from barley distilled into a neutral spirit in the village of Koskenkorva in Ilmajoki by Finland's Altia Corporation. The distilled alcohol is then transported to a production facility in the village of Rajamäki in Nurmijärvi, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Helsinki, where the spirit is blended with glacial water, flavored (except for the classic non-flavored edition, 101, and Platinum), and bottled.
The Finlandia brand was established in 1970 by Alko, Finland's state-owned alcoholic beverage company. It is now owned by Coca-Cola HBC.https://www.coca-colahellenic.com/en/media/news/corporate_news/2023/cchbc-acquire-finlandia-vodka
Finlandia vodka is distributed in 135 countries and is widely associated with Finland on the international market. Flavors include cranberry (since 1994), lime (1999), mango (2004), red berry (2004), wild berries (2005), grapefruit (2006), tangerine (2009), and blackcurrant (2009).
History
The distillery that produces Finlandia vodka was founded in 1888 by Dr. Wilhelm Juslin next to the glacial spring in the small Finnish village of Rajamäki in the Nurmijärvi parish.{{Cite journal |year=2007 |title=From a distillery into an international actor in the alcoholic beverage industry |url=http://www.digipaper.fi/altia/11739/index.php?pgnumb=84 |url-status=dead |journal=Altia Annual Report 2007 |pages=84–85 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923214714/http://www.digipaper.fi/altia/11739/index.php?pgnumb=84 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |access-date=10 April 2015}} Today, a facility at that same historic location still manufactures and packages Finlandia.{{Cite press release |title=Altia Mediadesk |date=22 May 2014 |publisher=My news desk |url=http://www.mynewsdesk.com/altia/pressreleases/altia-renews-and-strengthens-its-wine-business-998472}}{{Cite web |year=2010 |title=Rajamäki Plant (Altia company) |url=http://wikimapia.org/1549707/Rajam%C3%A4ki-Plant-Altia-company |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=Wikimapia}}
In 1920, after the passage of the alcohol Prohibition Act in Finland, the Rajamäki distillery was bought by the Finnish state to secure an alcohol supply for pharmacies and for other non-beverage purposes. When the Prohibition Act was lifted in 1932, the state took over exclusive control of vodka production.{{Cite web|title=Rajamäki distillery|url=http://www.diffordsguide.com/producers/137/rajamaki-distillery|access-date=10 April 2015|website=Difford's Guide}}
In 1970, Alko, the state-owned alcoholic beverage company, established the Finlandia vodka brand name.{{Cite journal |year=2006 |title=From a distillery into an international actor in the alcoholic beverage industry |url=http://www.digipaper.fi/altia/3944/index.php?pgnumb=92 |url-status=dead |journal=Altia Annual Report 2006 |pages=92–93 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923214719/http://www.digipaper.fi/altia/3944/index.php?pgnumb=92 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |access-date=10 April 2015}} A year later the Finlandia brand became the first Nordic vodka sold in the United States,{{Cite web |date=9 October 2013 |title=Finland |url=http://www.diyinfozone.com/vodkas-from-finland |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=The Self Sufficiency DIY Info Zone}} as well as the first imported vodka brand there classified in a premium category.{{Cite web |last=Ian |first=Cunningham |date=10 April 2010 |title=Finlandia Vodka Celebrates 40th Anniversary |url=http://drinksdaily.com/2010/01/finlandia-vodka-celebrates-40th-anniversary/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527033139/http://drinksdaily.com/2010/01/finlandia-vodka-celebrates-40th-anniversary/ |archive-date=27 May 2016 |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=Drinks Daily}}
In 1975, a new alcoholic beverage plant was constructed at the Rajamäki location in Finland, and the distilling operation was centralized at the Koskenkorva facility in 1987.{{Cite web|url=https://www.varmalaina.fi/lainaa/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923214718/http://www.digipaper.fi/altia/28796/index.php?pgnumb=92|url-status=dead|title=Lainaa|archivedate=23 September 2015}}
In 2000, the listed U.S.-based Brown-Forman Corporation acquired 45% of Finlandia Vodka Worldwide, with the state-owned Altia Group, a successor of Alko's production division, retaining 55% ownership.{{Cite news |date=16 June 2000 |title=Company news; Brown-Forman acquires 45% stake in Finlandia vodka |work=The New York Times |location=U.S. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/16/business/company-news-brown-forman-acquires-45-stake-in-finlandia-vodka.html |access-date=10 April 2015}} Two years later Brown-Forman acquired an additional 35% stake in Finlandia Vodka. In 2004, Brown-Forman acquired the remaining 20% of Finlandia Vodka and assumed 100% ownership in the brand.{{Cite news |date=23 November 2004 |title={{title case|COMPANY NEWS; BROWN-FORMAN WILL BECOME 100% OWNER OF FINLANDIA}} |work=The New York Times |location=U.S. |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E03E3DE173EF930A15752C1A9629C8B63 |access-date=10 April 2015}}
In 2016, Bloomberg reported Brown-Forman was considering a sale of Finlandia Vodka, which was not commented on by the company; however, the brand was not sold.{{Cite news|date=12 May 2016|title=Brown-Foreman Said to Consider Finlandia Sale Amid Whiskey Push|work=Bloomberg|location=U.S.|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-12/brown-forman-said-to-mull-finlandia-vodka-sale-amid-whiskey-push|access-date=25 May 2015}} In 2023, Coca-Cola HBC AG announced an agreement to acquire Brown-Forman Finland Oy, the owner of the Finlandia vodka brand, for $220 million, with the transaction completed later that year.https://www.coca-colahellenic.com/en/media/news/corporate_news/2023/cchbc-acquire-finlandia-vodka
Production
Finlandia vodka is produced from Finnish-grown six-row barley and pure glacial spring water.{{Citation needed|date=July 2015}}
At the Koskenkorva facility in western Finland, initial distillation of the fermented six-row barley takes place in seven columns with an average height of 25 meters using Altia's multi-pressure distilling system. Any remaining impurities, including lethal methanol as well as fusel alcohols and oils, are removed as the grain spirit is moved in a continuous process through more than 200 distillation steps.{{Cite journal |year=2008 |title=Efficient production is a competitive edge |url=http://www.digipaper.fi/altia/28796/index.php?pgnumb=17 |url-status=dead |journal=Altia Annual Report 2008 |pages=17–18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923214715/http://www.digipaper.fi/altia/28796/index.php?pgnumb=17 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |access-date=10 April 2015}} The entire production process, from grain mashing until the final neutral spirit flows out of the column, takes approximately 50 hours.{{Citation needed|date=July 2015}}
The final product, a grain spirit 96.5% by volume, is then transported about 315 kilometers (196 miles) south to the historic alcoholic beverage plant in the village of Rajamäki near Helsinki. The barley distillate is diluted with glacial water from the Rajamäki spring. Because the water is naturally filtered through sand and moraine formed by retreating glaciers during the Ice Age,{{Cite web |last=Sundblad |first=Ilmari |date=28 August 2014 |title=Finland |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/207424/Finland |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica}} no deionization, osmosis treatment or other artificial purification is used – unlike with some other vodkas.{{Cite journal |last1=Lachenmeier |first1=Dirk W. |last2=Attig |first2=Rainer |last3=Frank |first3=Willi |last4=Athanasakis |first4=Constanze |date=1 October 2001 |title=The use of ion chromatography to detect adulteration of vodka and rum |url=http://www.cvua-karlsruhe.de/org/abt4/Lachenmeier%20Ionenchromatographie%20Eur%20Food%20Res%20Technol%202003,%20218-105-110.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=European Food Research and Technology |publisher=Springer-Verlag |volume=2003 |issue=218 |pages=105–110 |doi=10.1007/s00217-003-0799-8 |s2cid=93323637 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021173936/http://www.cvua-karlsruhe.de/org/abt4/Lachenmeier%20Ionenchromatographie%20Eur%20Food%20Res%20Technol%202003,%20218-105-110.pdf |archive-date=21 October 2007 |access-date=10 April 2015}}{{Cite journal |last1=Kolomiets |first1=Olga A. |last2=Lachenmeier |first2=Dirk W. |last3=Hoffmann |first3=Uwe |last4=Siesler |first4=Heinz W. |date=4 February 2010 |title=Quantitative Determination of Quality Parameters and Authentication of Vodka Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy |url=https://www.impublications.com/content/abstract?code=J18_0059 |journal=Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy |location=Essen, Germany |publisher=IM Publications LLP 2010 |volume=2010 |issue=18 |pages=59–67 |bibcode=2010JNIS...18...59K |doi=10.1255/jnirs.866 |s2cid=97911487 |issn=0967-0335 |access-date=10 April 2015|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite web|url=https://drinksenthusiast.com/2013/08/26/finlandia-tasting-notes/|title=Finlandia|date=26 August 2013}}
The cooling and heating water used throughout the process is recirculated in a closed system to efficiently control temperature and keep water use to a minimum.{{Cite web |date=23 August 2011 |title=Finlandia Vodka |url=http://www.diffordsguide.com/class-magazine/read-online/en/2011-08-23/page-9/finlandia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923214655/http://www.diffordsguide.com/class-magazine/read-online/en/2011-08-23/page-9/finlandia |archive-date=23 September 2015 |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=Difford's Guide}}
Varieties
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2015}}
Finlandia is available in pure form (distilled alcohol + water) and in several flavored versions.{{Cite web |date=1 November 2015 |title=Finlandia |url=https://www.brown-forman.com/brands/finlandia/ |access-date=30 November 2015 |website=Brown-Forman}}
| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" width="35%" | Name ! scope="col" width="10%" | Launched ! scope="col" width="55%" | Description | ||
| Finlandia Classic | 1970 | Pure vodka 40%, 80 proof alcohol |
| Finlandia Cranberry | 1994 | Cranberry flavored vodka |
| Finlandia Lime | 1999 | Lime flavored vodka |
| Finlandia Mango | 2004 | Mango flavored vodka |
| Finlandia Redberry | 2004 | Cranberry flavored vodka |
| Finlandia Grapefruit | 2006 | Grapefruit flavored vodka |
| Finlandia Blackcurrant | 2009 | Blackcurrant flavored vodka |
| Finlandia Tangerine | 2009 | Tangerine flavored vodka |
| Finlandia Raspberry | 2011 | Raspberry flavored vodka |
| Finlandia 101 | 2011 | Pure vodka 50.5%, 101 proof alcohol |
| Finlandia Platinum | 2011 | Pure vodka 40%, 80 proof alcohol in a limited edition.
Same water, spirit and distillation as Finlandia Classic. The difference is in the recipe and birch-wood softening. Produced by hand in small limited batches; each bottle numbered.{{Cite web |last=Sanghvi |first=Vir |date=11 August 2012 |title=Rude Drink: In vodka we trust |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch-stories/rude-drink-in-vodka-we-trust/article1-910974.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518135854/http://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch-stories/rude-drink-in-vodka-we-trust/article1-910974.aspx |archive-date=18 May 2015 |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=Hindustan Times}} |
| Finlandia Coconut | 2014 | Coconut flavored vodka |
| Finlandia Nordic Berries | 2015 | Lingonberries, cloudberries, and bilberries flavored vodka |
Finlandia promotion
During the past several decades, the marketing of Finlandia vodka has involved a number of global promotional campaigns.
- 1976–1985 Several advertising campaigns in which taste is the primary focus: "There are vodkas for orange juice lovers and tomato juice lovers. Now a vodka for vodka lovers" (1976).{{Cite web |date=20 March 2014 |title=1976 Finlandia Vodka, there are vodkas for orange juice lovers. Now a vodka for vodka lovers |url=http://digitalpostercollection.com/business/alcohol-beer/finlandia/1976-finlandia-vodka-there-are-vodkas-for-orange-juice-lovers-now-a-vodka-for-vodka-lovers/ |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=Digital Poster Collection}} "The vodka for vodka purists" (1977).{{Cite web |date=8 October 2013 |title=1977 Finlandia, The Vodka For Vodka Purists |url=http://digitalpostercollection.com/business/alcohol-beer/finlandia/1977-finlandia-the-vodka-for-vodka-purists/ |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=Digital Poster Collection}} "Vodka for vodka drinkers" (1982). "Finlandia Vodka for vodka lovers" (1983). "The world's finest vodka. Over ice" (1984–85).{{Cite web |date=12 January 2014 |title=1985 Spirit Of Joy, Finlandia, The World's Finest Vodka Over Ice |url=http://digitalpostercollection.com/business/alcohol-beer/finlandia/1985-spirit-of-joy-finlandia-the-worlds-finest-vodka-over-ice/ |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=Digital Poster Collection}}
- 1990 The campaign "Finlandia. Vodka From the Top of the World" stresses the properties appreciated by vodka drinkers: coldness, clarity, and purity.{{Cite news |date=30 September 1991 |title=Finlandia. Vodka from the Top of the World (Advertisement) |work=New York Magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AOkCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA119 |access-date=10 April 2015}} The campaign was reintroduced in 2006.
- 1998 The campaign "In a past life I was pure, glacial spring water"{{Cite book |last=Schmitt |first=Bernd H. |title=Experiential Marketing: How to Get Customers to Sense, Feel, Think, Act, Relate |url=https://archive.org/details/experientialmark0000schm/page/209 |page=[https://archive.org/details/experientialmark0000schm/page/209 209] |year=1999 |place=New York |publisher=The Free Press |isbn=0-684-85423-6 |author-link=Bernd Schmitt |url-access=registration}} is launched under the umbrella theme "Past Lives" in which Finlandia vodka recalls its glacial origins. The ad series evokes a sense of the past through grainy photos and personalities speaking about their past lives.
- 1999 The campaign "Refresh" captures Finlandia vodka as "purely refreshing".{{Cite web |title=Finlandia refresh |url=http://adsoftheworld.com/media/tv/finlandia_refresh |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006104008/http://adsoftheworld.com/media/tv/finlandia_refresh |archive-date=6 October 2016 |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=Ads of the world}}{{Cite web |title=Finlandia. Vodka of Finland. Interview with Scott Reid |url=http://www.internationalbeveragenetwork.com/SpecialReport/Vodka/Finlandia/ |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=International Beverage Network |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924035523/http://www.internationalbeveragenetwork.com/SpecialReport/Vodka/Finlandia/ |url-status=dead }}
- 2002 Finlandia appears as "The Official Vodka of James Bond" for "007 Die Another Day", the James Bond film series.{{Cite web |date=1 October 2013 |title=2002 Pure James Bond, 007 Die Another Day, 007's Vodka of Choice |url=http://digitalpostercollection.com/business/alcohol-beer/finlandia/2002-pure-james-bond-007-die-another-day-007s-vodka-of-choise/ |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=Digital Poster Collection}}
- 2005 The campaign "Vodka from a Purer Place" declares Finlandia to be "naked vodka" by playing up its Finnish heritage and the "pure glacial spring water" from which it is made. Transparent bottles are posed against snowy landscapes under headlines like "Here you see exactly what you're made of" and "When you have nothing to hide behind, you tend not to hide anything".{{Cite web |last=Elliott |first=Stuart |title='Naked' Vodka for the Unhip Among Us |date=13 December 2005 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/13/business/media/13adco.html?_r=0 |work=The New York Times}}
- 2013 The campaign "To the life less ordinary" is designed to illustrate that, due to its blend of 6-row barley, glacial water, and the midnight sun process, Finlandia is a "less ordinary vodka" produced in a less ordinary fashion. The campaign is meant to inspire viewers to never settle for the routine but instead always embrace a less ordinary life.{{Cite web |last=Dean |first=Angie |date=10 April 2013 |title=W+K London rolls out global Finlandia campaign |url=http://www.moreaboutadvertising.com/2013/04/wk-london-rolls-out-global-finlandia-campaign/ |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=More About Advertising}}
Bottle design
Frozen Ice (1970) Tapio Wirkkala designed the original "Frozen Ice" bottle, which conveyed the impression of an ice-cold drink from Lapland in the Arctic North. The textured glass glittered like the surface of an icicle. The label featured two white reindeer sparring against the Midnight Sun low on the horizon.{{Cite web |last=Pallasmaa |first=Juhani |date=March 2009 |title=Tapio Wirkkala |url=http://finland.fi/Public/default.aspx?contentid=160074 |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=this is Finland |publisher=Finland Promotion Board}}{{Cite web |last=Tapio |first=Wirkkala |title=Graphic design and packaging |url=http://www.wirkkala.fi/e_wirkkala/Production/Pages/Graphics.html |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=Tapio Wirkkala |archive-date=14 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614005553/http://www.wirkkala.fi/e_wirkkala/Production/Pages/Graphics.html |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |date=9 March 2009 |title=Iittala Glassware by Tapio Wirkkala |url=http://www.dailyicon.net/2009/03/iittala-glassware-by-tapio-wirkkala/ |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=Daily Icon |archive-date=23 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923212339/http://www.dailyicon.net/2009/03/iittala-glassware-by-tapio-wirkkala/ |url-status=usurped }}
Hammered Ice (1998) Hansen Design of Design Philadelphia introduced "Hammered Ice" bottle design. The paper label was dropped and replaced with lacquered text.{{Cite web |last=Cherkassky |first=Irene |title=In the clear: with a sleeker, see-through bottle, Finlandia vodka is poised to boost profile and sales. |date=15 May 1998 |url=http://business.highbeam.com/138368/article-1G1-20654511/clear-sleeker-seethrough-bottle-finlandia-vodka-poised |work=Beverage World |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312131711/https://business.highbeam.com/138368/article-1G1-20654511/clear-sleeker-seethrough-bottle-finlandia-vodka-poised |archive-date=12 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}
Glacial Ice (2003) Harri Koskinen, Finnish tabletop glass and industrial designer, along with New York's Wallace Church & Co. graphic designers and the Finlandia Global package design team, designed and launched the "Glacial Ice" bottle. The texture mimicked the sensation of melting ice, capturing the origins of the brand's glacial spring water.{{Cite web |title=Products / finlandia / Finlandia vodka Worldwide ltd. 2003 |url=http://www.harrikoskinen.com/products/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326113859/http://www.harrikoskinen.com/products/ |archive-date=26 March 2015 |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=Harri Koskinen}}{{Cite web |date=27 January 2010 |title=Finlandia Vodka Celebrates 40th Anniversary |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/finlandia-vodka-celebrates-40th-anniversary-82804622.html |access-date=1 December 2015 |website=PRNewswire}}
Melting Ice (2011) Finlandia introduced a new bottle called "Melting Ice". The bottle was developed through the collective effort of designers including Harri Koskinen, the Finnish designer who was instrumental in the development of the prior Finlandia bottle, and Kenneth Hirst, an industrial designer based in New York, who sculpted the new form.{{Cite web |last=Ives |first=Andy |date=2011 |title=Finlandia Unveil New Melting Ice Bottle |url=http://www.barlifeuk.com/barlifesite/index.php/2011/04/finlandia-unveil-new-melting-ice-bottle/ |access-date=10 April 2015 |website=Barlife |archive-date=23 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923182322/http://www.barlifeuk.com/barlifesite/index.php/2011/04/finlandia-unveil-new-melting-ice-bottle/ |url-status=dead }}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category|Finlandia vodka}}
- {{Official website|www.finlandia.com|Finlandia official website}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100924181612/http://www.altiacorporation.com/en/Production/ Altia Corporation - Finlandia Vodka contract producer]
{{Vodkas}}
{{Alcoholic drinks}}