What the heck is going on with Svedka?

I miss Taco.
I think I've invested more time into this video than my actual master's thesis... lol. In today's video, I uncover the mystery of Svedka vodka--the imported Swedish vodka sold in the USA. After living in Sweden, I was surprised to find out that Svedka was NOT sold in Sweden, despite being a Swedish vodka distilled in Lidköping.
I first mentioned Svedka in another video talking about confusing foods: • 8 Swedish foods that c...
The biggest shock of all was when I came back to the States and found out that Svedka was no longer a "Swedish" vodka. All branding of Sweden was removed from the packaging, yet there hasn't been a peep about the marketing move. Furthermore, the vodka itself is no longer made from Swedish winter wheat, and it's now distilled only four times instead of five. Why is Svedka no longer distilled in Sweden, and more importantly, why hasn't Svedka nor their parent company, Constellation Brands, mentioned these drastic changes? Why would they delete their entire Instagram showing the original packaging? And when I've tried to reach out for an answer, why won't they reply?
So many questions!
I hope that there will be a part 2 to this, so stay tuned. I've been working on this for months, and it is by far the most complex video I've ever worked on. I hope you enjoy the video!
My Instagram: bit.ly/Insta_r...
Svedka website: www.svedka.com/ (no about page or anything!!)
www.cbrands.com/
en.wikipedia.o...
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Extra tag words:
absolut vodka, absolut., swedish vodka, svedka vodka, sprit, smakprovning, constellation brands, spirits marque one, corona, modello, lidköping, sverige, örebro, joe lycett, popular vodkas, best selling vodkas, american vodkas, rebranding, new design, new logo, swedish design, svedka conspiracy, konspiration, conspiracy
#svedka #absolut #vodka

[@amandas7368]

This is super interesting! My guess is that it is related to the court case in 2020 where they were told that Svedka was not allowed to be considered Swedish vodka because they used US water. It would make sense that they do not want to talk about it because they used the branding for way longer than they were permitted to - they would have had to change it in 2020 but it took another year for them to actually change it. Seems like they also stopped buying the raw liqour from Sweden in 2020 as the factory that produces it here completely stopped producing vodka and only made hand sanitizer during covid. 2021 they also reversed the decision on swedish vodka, so it is perfectly okay to name it that now, but by the time they reached that decision my guess is that Svedka was already in the middle of rebranding and had found the much cheaper american corn alternative anyway as they needed to continue production when the swedish factory decided to create only hand sanitizer. Obviously this is a lot of speculation, but it seems like the american distillery is Spirits Marque One in San Fransisco still, so maybe you could get hold of them? :)

[@Hannah-se1qt]

If it was a court case you could file a freedom of information act to get the documents

[@MyName-sk8wl]

Ohhhhh I used to question why the little “made in” changed, I thought it was cus I was trippin and maybe I was just wasted cus people would tell me that they didn’t see the difference, or that nothing has changed, now I know for a fact that I drive better when I’m drunk

[@dale5612]

I bought a bottle that they cover with a plastic wrapping and the vodka has things floating in it

[@hanskanns1710]

Tl:dr

[@carlossaavedra-nilsson8522]

Svedka used to be sold here in Sweden ages ago , it was in the special order catalogue (beställningssortimentet) . It was removed from the catalogue when the brand was sold and they started sending the vodka in tanks for bottelling it in the US instead, that's what I was told by the staff at Systembolaget. Svedka was middle of the road quality imho but they were the only brand that had cherry flavour. I tried a few and only liked and used to buy the cherry flavoured one, still have an unopened bottle here at home.

[@MeaganAfterDark]

No way! That's so interesting! I had no idea that it was sold in Sweden at one point. I guess that makes sense since it wasn't bought by Constellation Brands until 2007. Thanks for sharing!

[@Jonsson474]

It wasn’t very good and vodka is not that big of a product in Sweden anyway.

[@mediaSophia88]

Thank you for sharing.

[@roberttheswedishbackpacker]

"If a guy named Taco is going to tell me something, I am going to take it with a grain of salt" 😂👌🏻

[@MathiasHeinel]

By the way, råsprit is raw alcohol, the stuff coming out of the distiller before it is mixed with water The thing is that Lisch Vodka is mixed with Swedish water. Svedka with some kind of American water. Which gives them somewhat different taste and characteristics.

[@mgntstr]

råsprit is the boiled stuff comings out of the distiller? It is literally boiled. Liars, how dare they.

[@richardjohnson9212]

Indeed 'raw spirit' would be the >180 proof raw alcohol coming out of the distiller before water is added back for proofing down to 80 proof

[@reallivebluescat]

its great to see you cheerful and joyful again! i hope you dont feel a pressure to only do swedish topic videos ? would be cool to see things about your life in the US aswell

[@annasamuelsson6593]

Vilket intressant mysterium! Jag får verkligen känslan av att det är något skumt i kulisserna! Bra jobbat av dig!

[@Plexsusmax]

tomtar i mossen även

[@GeorgeSheeler]

Thank you! Ive been buying svedka for years and just noticed the missing Swedish flag, and did 5 minutes of research before finding your video. Great work. Cant wait to get to the bottom of this mystery!

[@ABlindMoose]

My guess is that it’s cheaper to make it in the US, but if Svedka is so famous for being a “Swedish vodka”… it would probably hurt their brand if they can’t call themselves Swedish anymore. I’d bet that there is a “shut-up-and-maybe-they-won’t-notice” policy in place.

[@Anquarius]

Jättebra video som vanligt! Riktigt intressant. Ditt detektivarbete är fenomenalt!

[@stefanjohansson2373]

Men eftersom fabriken stängde 2018 så vet jag inte om jag kan hålla med. Det tar 1 minut att hitta sanningen via Google, men det sabbar förstås videons vinkling.

[@MeaganAfterDark]

Vad sökte du på? Jag har försökt allt jag kunde.

[@fredriklarsson9415]

@@stefanjohansson2373 Jag hittar inte ett skit om att fabriken stängde ner 2018. Var hittade du det?

[@andreaspersic3262]

@@stefanjohansson2373 Nej den är inte alls stängd.

[@a.e.9795]

Fabriken Lantmännen Reppe AB är definitivt inte stängd då den fortfarande tillverkar råspriten till Lisch Vodka.

[@tonynilsson9070]

You scared them, they had to rebrand 😀

[@mattwho42]

I'm 5 min in, drunk off of Svedka, and I'm going to save this video to finish later. I'm super invested with the fellow named Taco. I'm not sure if your video addresses this, but I was trying to find out why Svedka switched over from the Swedish flag to a "Made in America" branding. Thank you for this video!

[@lokis7230]

Probably started as what we call "renomé-snyltning" on Absolut Vodka. They bought the alcohol from a not very fancy industry in Sweden. Ethanol is ethanol, could have been car fuel as well. When they had made a brand they could easaly change to some cheaper ethanol instead. Very interesting video! Well done!

[@JamiMarie]

This is blowing my mind. I literally searched this because my husband and I noticed the flag was gone. We love svedka. We don’t drink much. But when we do…it’s svedka. Always has been. So we were curious. Now I’m done the rabbit hole too

[@jajlertil]

When the media can’t be trusted to bring us the real important stories and serious investigative journalism, Meagan steps in 🙏

[@mediaSophia88]

Yes, Im so glad she made this video. I had no idea.

[@soundlyawake]

this is blowing my entire mind

[@valo2872]

I love the missions you go on!👍😁 First Swedish reusable dish cloths and now "Swedish" vodka. Top investigative journalism! Keep up the good work! And I love that you do it with a Swedish theme.

[@NominePatris]

Fascinerande video!! Känns som en konspirationsteori om svensk vodka! :)

[@davidandrews4818]

My information is that Svedka is now a four times distilled liquor, made from US corn (probably not NGO), in Tennessee. So it is a middle-shelf corn liquor, that if it was market as that could, could be sold for 30% more here in the States as moonshine. It is not yet sold in a plastic bottles...but still sold at import prices.

[@thatrandomswedishperson]

This whole video is like a scooby doo mystery and honestly Im here for it.

[@Frank-pe9pk]

Megan you really are causing international crisis! I’m thinking Taco needs to explain what’s going on. I’m thinking you might find him in Mexico or New Mexico but not in Sweden!😂

[@babyluna7414]

I myself have been drinking this vodka for ages in the US. I will be going through the old bottles I have to see if I have one of the old bottles. This surprises me but also makes sense as they also lowered the price buy 2$, yeah 2$ but still a clue maybe lol. I never thought this was actually Swedish vodka but it has changed in taste as well so…. And thank you so much for this video. I saw a video about tequila being not really tequila and thought I needed to look up what I occasionally drank. 😂

[@jerryhall5709]

After 53 years in Sweden this is the first time I hear about Svedka. Learn something new every day. Explorer is the vodka I grew up with. Even my grandmother used to have a bottle in the fridge.

[@ArleneAdkinsZell]

Excellent video, love this kind of research. The small trivial things make life so interesting.

[@albertbergquist2113]

It makes sense to go silent if you cheapens your product, as when changing grain and destilation times.

[@Smiiizk]

Really interesting video, hope you get some answers and keep us updated! Also are you watching this years Melodifestivalen? We would love to hear you thoughs this year aswell!!

[@empetus3135]

Great video - I recently bought a bottle and myself noticed the complete branding redesign and removal of all references to Sweden and was wondering what was going on. I tried to look online and found nothing....except for a link to this video. Will stop buying this brand now that it's completely different in every way. Thanks for the great information!

[@XareSwe]

Great video Meagan, almost like a mystery one that spanned over quite some time ^^ and fun seeing my comment in there too. Hope you'll be able too stay more permanently in Sweden eventually if that's still a goal of yours, Sweden would be better off with you in it

[@gustav2376]

Ser fram emot en granskande video i veckan. Finns mycket att gräva i där ute om man har tid över.

[@stefanjohansson2373]

Låt oss granska en fabrik som stängde 2018. Eller så lär vi oss att googla 😂

[@gustav2376]

Meghan gör det bra men du kanske inte tål smarta kvinnor!?

[@wadeturner2665]

The thing is, this isn't rebranding. The brand is Svedka. That hasn't changed. What has changed is where Constellation is sourcing their components from. Svedka used to be produced from Swedish ethanol that was distilled from Swedish winter wheat. This ethanol was shipped to the USA and diluted to 80 proof and bottled. (And also flavored the 14 different ways that all vodka brands seem to do these days.) Now, for whatever reason, Constellation cannot continue with that process. Someone here mentioned that the Swedish ethanol producer switched to making hand sanitizer due to Covid. Now Constellation has this brand, Svedka, that they can't continue producing the same way. So they have to figure out another way to produce it. So they find a contract distiller in the USA with an ethanol product, made from American corn, they can use that will work at their price point. It likely means that in order to meet that price point they can only pay for 4 distillations, not five. Or perhaps corn only needs 4 distillations to get to an approximation of the previously used wheat derived ethanol. But the brand hasn't changed. It's still Svedka, it's just not made in the same way or in the same place. Compare it to cars. Toyota, Honda, and BMW all make cars in the USA. They don't call these cars by different brand names.

[@malinw7016]

Wow, how weird. You did a great job!!

[@Gene1954]

My guess is more expensive Swedish vodka has been substituted with corn ethanol that was diverted from the stream being mixed into the unleaded auto fuel.

[@graceinbangkok]

Svedka has long been a favorite, I was so disappointed today to get a bottle and see these changes. I was like what the ....

[@sonofisai]

Was it ever made in Sweden? Maybe they fear facing lawsuits if it was made public that it was actually made in the US all the time. Now they're making a silent change.

[@andylindy]

Svedka was made from 192 proof raw spirit from Lantmännen Reppe distillery in Lidköping. Dilluted and bottled in the US.

[@Ca11mero]

That's what I assume as well. Could be some changes in laws either in the US, Sweden or EU saying that you need to fulfill certain requirements to call something "Swedish" or whatever country/place. Think of the Greek man on the "Turkish yogurt" packaging for example, they quickly changed once they found out. Could be someone on Svedka figuring out that this is not enough to call it Swedish and changed in hope that someone wouldn't notice.

[@stefanjohansson2373]

Fabriken lades ned 2018. Googla vetja 😂

[@stefanjohansson2373]

@@andylindy The factory closed 2018. Just Google it…

[@nisseknott]

Stefan Johansson Vart framgår det? Vad jag kan se så tillverkar fortfarande Lantmännen Reppe råsprit på 96%. Och tidningen ATL skrev om detta iaf 2020. Där framgick det att Livsmedelverket menar att varan/den färdiga vodkan inte får marknadsföras som svensk pga av att man exporterat 96% sprit och gjort resten av processen i USA - amerikanskt vatten i vodkan - ingen svensk produkt!

[@rj.knitts3690]

OMG, this is SO interesting!!! :D MORE PLZ!!

[@faderkorall5481]

I think they chose to not announce the rebranding because it might actually hurt their sales cause if feels less exotic or something

[@ellaw5881]

Herregud vad intressant! Älskar när du gör dessa typer av videos! 🥰

[@shawnsan9]

Very interesting. That's my go-to brand.

[@outpost990]

I was very thrown off when I saw the bottle had changed, basically I think it comes down to that they know people will buy it no matter what it's certainly weird though lol

[@fidshimmer]

Just noticed my new bottle of svedka is 4 times distilled and product of USA Your video is very informative I am definitely switching either back to absolut. Or finlandia I feel ripped off. This rebranding is more bait and switch. If I wanted corn derived ethanol I would drink Kamchatka brand, and expect the massive hangover it causes

[@MartinAhlman]

One new years eve, some friends of mine had a bottle of Svedka. It was sort of the American flad, still had a sort of Swedish flag (White Nordic cross on a silver background???) and it was still produced in Sweden.The one thing I noticed was that it tasted foul, like really bad homemade alcohol. I was really surprised they even sold this bottle, let alone more of them! What in the world makes people drink this?You said it was made corn now, that's a new reason to use it for cleaning, not for drinking it! I still have the empty bottle from before 2017 and the secret rebranding, just to remind me not to ever drink it again. And I have tasted some pretty vile stuff in my times (Chinese "whisky" that cost 2.50 SEK for two litres. It was still better than Svedka. This video was perfect for my mood to go up, up, up! Thank you, and I hope you can come back to Sweden soon, we miss you!

[@Sara-mr1hs]

It's a wonder this video did not unexplainably disappear... 😱 Guess they hoped no one would notice the changes on the bottle 🧐

[@AdirondackRuby]

This is absolutely wild! So many questions, zero answers. I prefer Polish vodkas, myself (If I have to, I'll go for Russian) so I've never had Svedka...but this was still weirdly fascinating. Big thanks to Tyler Zed for sending me this way. I need to know more!

[@chrisqueen9499]

Strange that someone would be so obsessed about a vodka brand :D But still, I enjoyed looking at your face. Thanks

[@Pia-lm7qi]

I love your dedication!

[@witext]

I hate when something pretty big happens and there's no news about it, drives me freaking insane Like what? You just changed the entire product and said nothing? and the only reason they didn't sell it in Sweden was because they don't have the correctly sized bottle? juts get a correctly sized bottle then what the hell This company feels very fishy

[@elmixern]

When i visited US 4 years ago i was baffled about the amount of Svedka wich i have never heard of before was sold in almost every liquor store. Interesting

[@Hakuna_Matata.]

Intressant video! Bra jobbat med all sökande på information hehe

[@mediaSophia88]

So, glad you made this video. I was wondering the same thing. This video is really funny towards the end. You really have a point. It is really upsetting. I am probably going to stop buying their products. Its a shame. Hopefully you find the answers you was looking for.

[@sofiapaulsdotteravilahenri9266]

Very interesting and good research! I have never heard of SVEDKA either!!

[@Belnick6666]

i never heard of Svedka, but there are other products that are Swedish and sold in USA, but no longer or barely sold in Sweden anymore

[@tylerwooldridge7933]

I know this is a year old but it sounds like to me they decided to go a cheaper route and thus they couldn’t state it was from Sweden anymore. I’m sure it’s far more expensive to use a winter wheat from Sweden than American corn since he have abundance of it and it is locally grown. Same with distilling it less. To save money

[@ola_bandola]

I’m Swedish and I can confirm. I’ve never heard of Svedka

[@petter5721]

Good for you, it taste bad.

[@peterwestgarth1477]

It’s fascinating that the worth of an organisation is measured by its online profile.

[@freudenberg101]

Speaking of buckling up, the 3-point seat belt is a swedish invention (Volvo 1959).

[@eyesharp]

Just found a reddit post about this with a interestingcomment: "I think the production may have been switched to the Akva name, and the Svedka brand was maybe sold to another producer." So Akva has the same characteristics as Svedka, Made in Sweden, distilled 5 times and low cost. Seams plausible at least.

[@joekravetz4153]

Great video! I've been a Svedka fan for a long time (after Absolut did the same thing - sold out). I thought something was up with my Svedka lately, then on my last shopping trip I couldn't believe what I saw; "Made in USA"!! Then, like you, the first thing I did is google "where Svedka is made". All the info out there is OLD and says "Sweden". They fooled me for over a year, but never again will a bottle of Svedka be in my freezer. Now, to find my new vodka ... As in everything, it isn't a challenge to make an expensive vodka (or car, etc). The challenge is having a great product at a great price.

[@FredrikGranlundkayaker]

Try to get hold of Stoli Vodka (The vodka sold in Europe was rebranded from Stolichnaya after the Russian invasion of Ukraine because they wanted it to not sound Russian) distilled in Latvia. It was originally a Soviet vodka distilled in several different distilleries throughout the Soviet Union so there are several different producers, but the one made in Latvia has been rebranded. Best vodka I have ever tried. Other good options would be the Ukranian vodkas Nemiroff, Kozak and Dima's.

[@Henrik46]

"Svedka" is a portmanteau, a mashup of two or more words to form a new meaning. Another example is "hangry", from hungry+angry.

[@whatsleft5059]

The swedish food agency decided that they are not allowed to call it "swedish vodka" since that is a protected designation. Apparently it has to be made a certain way to be allowed to be called that. That is probably the reason for the rebranding. It is still destilled in sweden though so the "us made" is bullcrap.

[@blackking4610]

Thanks for the video. I'm here in Los Angeles, and I'm sipping on a bottle of the original Swedish five-time distilled Svedka vodka. I just bought it at a target, maybe they still have some of the old original bottles left that they're selling.

[@danieljmahoney-zy2vr]

I just realized this today. I noticed it was giving me bad hangovers for awhile. I dumped many bottles out.

[@Achmesu]

Råsprit is not the grain. It is alcohol of very high percentage that is later mixed with water to get the final spirit. The letter said they used the same råsprit but not the same water to do the vodka.

[@bytacc]

Great video! Really interesting!

[@jfilm7466]

When entering Australia we were offered 2x 2L bottles of Absolut cheaper than 1 750ml bottle in Systembolaget. They had to export and transport it halfway around the world, so it looks like Sweden could be really be ripping us of with the tax.

[@Svendettan]

Taco... I LOST IT! 🤣

[@dahlizz99]

Damn you might've made a $300M company rebrand lol. Well done!

[@jonathancathey2334]

There was an article out in the 2010's . Stating about 70% to 80% of the low to mid grade vodka in the United States are made in the same 5 distilleries. Take Grey Goose vodka as a example. Lots of liquor stores in the United States have Grey Goose Vodka on the top shelf. This is all a marketing tool. Years ago Grey Goose vodka was sold to a parent company. The parent company obviously wanted to save money, and importing alcohol is expensive. So the parent company went and changed the distillery and the bottle. Now the product in the Grey Goose bottle is still good, but not nearly the quality of the original import. The bottle shape was changed for the specific reason. So most liquor stores in the United States would have to keep it on the top shelf, because the bottle itself cannot be put anywhere else.

[@HEJtoss]

Jag älskar att du lägger den här tiden på detta 😅 Sjukt skumt ändå!

[@CalvinP420]

Wow, my thought process 100% 2 years ago, and still haven’t gotten an explanation

[@iam4u2env]

Great video. Thank you.

[@arvidroos9055]

Can you do a reaction video of Eurovision song contest this year with your top picks? Last time you did it was great!

[@derreander]

I found some info on it and this is what hapen in 2020. In 2020, the court said that Swedish vodka must be made in the country and contain Swedish water. Lantmännen who produce Svedka (which is the fourth largest vodka in the USA with 4.5 million nine liter cases) could no longer claim that the product was Swedish anymore. So becaus they bottled it in USA it can no loger be caled swedish :P.

[@laurenonmoonlightdr]

This is false advertising and they are covering that up!! Good report! New subscriber!

[@kallehagglund82]

Really love your dedication! I live in Gothenburg but I do have a small cottage just outside of Lidköping. Some 15 minutes south. If you ever wanna come over and just knock on their door. Holla at me. För detta var faktiskt en riktig "Cluedo" som man vill få svar på. Om inte annat har jag en hembrännings maskin så vi kan göra egen sprit på 😉

[@robar7853]

I read a while back that many alcohol beverages have been reformulated and brewed in the US and thus can no longer say they are imported. The reason you are probably not getting any responses is that they do not want everyone to know that their favorite spirit is made in the same place where their least favorite brand is made. It is sort of hard to advertise that one is so much better than the other when they are made in the same place with mostly the same ingredients. ie.. you buy out your competition, get their recipe, move the production to your plant to lessen production overhead, silently relabel and reap the profits from by competing with yourself (oh and don't answer questions that expose what you are doing).

[@ulfakerblom9200]

Oh, I thougt that it was Absolut Vodka that was the most famous. You never stop learning.

[@JC-oe6up]

Don't forget about the Svedka robot!

[@StubbySum9]

Swedish article said For seven years, there has been a protracted battle between the National Food Administration and Lantmännen Reppe AB, which produces spirits in its factory in Lidköping. Lantmännen's vodka, Svedka, has become a success in the USA, among other places, but according to the National Food Administration, it may not be marketed as Swedish vodka. The reason is that "Swedish vodka" is a protected designation according to EU rules, and thus must meet certain requirements. The National Food Administration considers that Lantmännen violates some of these requirements when the company transports the concentrated 96% alcohol to the USA to be diluted with water there. "Swedish origin on the water is an important part of the geographical origin that characterizes Swedish vodka," writes the administrative court in Uppsala. Thinking of appealing The court also considers that the dilution should take place in Sweden. Lantmännen intends to appeal the verdict. - We have plenty of reasons to appeal. Scotch whiskey is also a protected designation, but may be transported concentrated and diluted closer to the consumer, which is good for environmental reasons. And what is the definition of Swedish water? says Magnus Kagevik, head of the energy division at Lantmännen, which includes Lantmännen Reppe.

[@evek9718]

Super interesting :) I'm Swedish and I'm don't think I've ever heard about Svedka..

[@derreander]

First time hereing about them was in 2019 when going on a cruser whit Royla caribien.

[@jannepuhakka79]

Yay, you're back - missed u bestie! Looks like Diane Sawyer can retire safely since you are doing such a good job digging up all the dirt on Svedka.

[@Hans-mg5nf]

One for the old road: what the heck is going on with this poster of my home town Amsterdam in your living room 🤣🤣🤣

[@Tapio86]

It is basically like the Swedish Arla "salad cheese" (not allowed to be called "Feta", since it is not made in Greece) is called Feta in Mexico. Whilst the most encountered Tequila in the Nordics ("Sierra", the one with the little sombrero tap), is only found in some tourist shops in Mexico, but is totally unknown to most Mexicans.

[@bengtneiss5021]

According to an article Svedka was introduced to the American market in 1998 and the crude alcohol is distilled at the Lantmännen Reppe distillery in Lidköping. They have a website as well that you can search on Google (KZbin doesn't seem to like url's in the comment section :-) )

[@gaiseric22]

Anybody notice a difference in the flavor after the switch to American corn?

[@music4u531]

Unprofessional opinion: Maybe stricter environmental policies, maybe due to covid, maybe a cost/price issue. They put their heads in the sand because it's not as exotic with US vodka. The brand name is very important (like New Amsterdam Vodka rather than New York City Vodka) so they'll stick with Svedka Vodka.

[@bi-lqvist]

This about Svedka sounds supernatural. It seems that the US can blow Swedish companies without further ado. Taco had a big hit in Europe (Puttin' on the ritz) in the 80s. He was from Holland. Scary style.

[@kennethlarsson3382]

Wtf...im swedish..never heard of Svedka. Thx Meagan for informing me. As you lived in Sweden you know that we have a complicated relation to alcohol..lol..

[@surelock22]

They probably don't sell it in Sweden anymore because the market is saturated already, and it's more than likely much cheaper to make, bottle and sell all from the same country.

[@Aconda]

Interesting video. Thank you.

[@gettoughtorough1779]

This vodka isn’t made in Sweden anymore. The company now distills and bottles in the USA. Also it’s not wheat based anymore. It’s corn based now too as well. The low price now makes sense haha

[@natrixnatrix]

Seems pretty obvious what happened. Constelation Brands bought the company for the Svedka brand and then switched the contents to something that is probably cheaper but also doesn't need to be imported from Sweden. The silence is not incompetence but intentional since I assume being Swedish is a pretty big part of the Svedka brand and the branding was the whole reason they bought the company in the first place.

[@GeneralPadron]

You ever think that it was never what they were advertising it as? You ever think that perhaps they did this huge secret change in secret to avoid being sued for false advertising and improper product?

[@marinajohansson8590]

Love this video!

[@ClearGalaxies]

Thank you ❤

[@fhyuu9221]

American exchange student studyping in Sweden right now and this is the one thing that has been bothering me here 😭 now i know

[@fluffinmcpuffin1879]

Fosters Lager is confusing too. Does the company who owns Victoria Bitters own it?

[@TeddsPicks]

We actually lost a local brewery here in San Diego called ballast point ... Because that company was bought out from underneath the founders by constellation brands ... I don't know what you found out about the parent company but I believe it has ties to China.

[@rileypatterson7512]

I haven’t been able to get behind the Kentucky svedka. It gives me hangovers now. I’m going to switch to absolut.

[@Subletter]

They are not allowed to call Svedka "From Sweden" anymore. There are articles out there referencing this. It is a product done by Lantmännen Reppe AB, you can find info if you look for that and Svedka.

[@andylindy]

Lantmännens Vetevodka is sold by Systembolaget. Same distillery.

[@MeaganAfterDark]

I knew there was some legal stuff going on with calling it a Swedish liquor if it doesn’t use Swedish water. Apparently that’s an issue with quite a few whiskeys and scotches, etc. But the actual grain is different now, so it wasn’t just a branding change. I wish I could find out why!

[@matsv201]

No, that is not quite corect, they cant call it "swedish vodka", but they can still call it from sweden. The first being a peotected brand, the second being a statment of fact.

[@billsimmons8983]

Hi Meagan, according to page 31 of the annual report: "Additionally, in connection with the recent divestitures, we expect to optimize the value of our wine and spirits portfolio by driving increased focus on our higher-end brands to accelerate growth and improve overall operating margins. In markets where it is feasible, we entered into contractual arrangements to consolidate our U.S. distribution network in order to obtain dedicated distributor selling resources which focus on our U.S. wine and spirits portfolio to drive organic growth. This consolidated U.S. distribution network currently represents about 70% of our branded wine and spirits volume in the U.S. Effective April 1, 2021, we have modified our U.S. wine and spirits distribution network to a single distributor which we expect to continue to represent approximately 70% of that volume. Throughout the terms of these contracts, we generally expect shipments on an annual basis to these distributors to essentially equal the distributors’ shipments to retailers." So, it seems they sold their distilleries (or their interest in them ) in Sweden and decided to produce it in the USA for synergies from the distribution and creation of being in the same place.