Åhus, the home of Absolut

The village has medieval origins, and its natural harbour on the Baltic Sea was key to its industrial development. Today, Åhus is popular with the yachting and boating fraternity. Its sandy beaches also make Åhus a popular summertime tourist destination, and the town is as famous for hosting one of the largest beach handball tournaments in the world as for its vodka.

Absolut's distillery is a distinctive landmark in Åhus, and its impressive column still, dating back to 1921, remains in use. This is all copper – shell, plate, and even pipes, although insulation beneath a wooden jacket hides this. Production of Absolut outgrew this distillery in the centre of the village, so a second, state-of-the-art distillery was built 17 kilometres away.

Every day, close to half a million bottles of Absolut are produced, and for a brand of its size, Absolut is unusual in that it is still a "single source vodka".