Absolut vodka was first launched in new york in 1979. It soon became the talk of the town in the us and eventually of the world. But the recipe behind the clean and natural taste of absolut is actually older than 30 years. So is the 18th-century medicine bottle found in an antique store in stockholm sweden that gave inspiration to the iconic absolut vodka bottle. 40% abv 80 proof what does true taste of vodka taste like? Absolut vodka is a swedish vodka made exclusively from natural ingredients and unlike some other vodkas it doesn’t contain any added sugar. In fact absolut is as clean as vodka can be. Still it has a certain taste: rich full-bodied and complex yet smooth and mellow with a distinct character of grain followed by a hint of dried fruit.