Renat vodka

Renat, also known as Renat Brännvin, is a Swedish brännvin and vodka brand produced by Vin & Sprit. The spirit is made from wheat grown in Västergötland, Sweden, and has an alcohol content of 37.5 percent by volume. Its identity is closely linked to the history of Swedish industrial distillation and to the work of entrepreneur and distiller Lars Olsson Smith. The brand's origins date to 1877, when Smith introduced a product described as “Ten-fold purified spirits” or “Absolutely pure spirits.” It was produced in a new distillation boiler at Reimersholme in Stockholm. The equipment enabled continuous distillation, allowing the spirit to be purified to a degree that removed fusel oils and other unwanted compounds. This technical distinction helped establish Renat as an unusually clean spirit and gave the product its name: “renat” is the Swedish word for “purified.” The original description, “Absolutely pure spirits,” was changed to Renat during the 1970s. The renaming helped create a separate identity ahead of the launch of Absolut Vodka in 1979. Although Renat and Absolut are distinct brands, their histories are connected through Swedish alcohol production and the development of Vin & Sprit's brand portfolio. Renat therefore represents an older, domestically rooted expression of Swedish neutral spirits, while Absolut became the company's major internationally marketed vodka brand. Renat has traditionally been positioned as a straightforward, highly purified Swedish spirit rather than as a flavored or heavily differentiated premium vodka. Its product story emphasizes raw material, purification, Swedish production, and continuity with nineteenth-century distilling. The brand is often described as a Swedish national vodka. Its place in the Swedish market is also reflected by its article number in Systembolaget's catalog: article number one. The brand has received international competition recognition. Renat was featured in the International Wine and Spirit Competition in 2005 and 2006. For its 125th anniversary, the bottle was redesigned by Jan Johansson, an artist associated with Orrefors Glassworks, while the label was redesigned by Roland Ingemarsson. The bottle is manufactured at Limmared's glassworks, linking the packaging to Sweden's established glassmaking tradition. Available reference material identifies Vin & Sprit as the producer but does not provide sufficiently specific information about the brand's present corporate ownership, management, headquarters, distribution outside Sweden, or current sales. Renat is best understood as a historically important Swedish vodka and brännvin brand whose distinction rests on purification technology, national-market heritage, and a long association with the Swedish state alcohol retail system.

Renat's history begins in Stockholm in 1877, when Lars Olsson Smith launched a spirit marketed as “Ten-fold purified spirits” or “Absolutely pure spirits.” Smith produced the spirit using a new distillation boiler at Reimersholme. Unlike batch methods that required repeated separate distillations, the equipment supported continuous distillation. This process made it possible to produce a spirit purified of fusel oils and helped distinguish Smith's product from less refined distilled spirits. The product's purification became its central commercial idea. The Swedish word “renat,” meaning purified, eventually became the brand name and preserved the association between the product and its production method. The name was adopted in the 1970s, replacing the earlier “Absolutely pure spirits” designation. This change also created a distinct brand identity before the introduction of Absolut Vodka in 1979. Renat consequently occupies an earlier and more traditional position in the history of Swedish vodka, even though its naming history is connected to the later development of another prominent Swedish vodka label. Renat is made from wheat grown in Västergötland and is produced by Vin & Sprit. The brand's documented strength is 37.5 percent alcohol by volume. Its product character is that of an unflavored Swedish brännvin or vodka-style spirit, with purification and Swedish origin carrying more of the brand story than flavor innovation or a broad range of variants. The brand has been described as Sweden's national vodka and has had a notable place in the country's alcohol retail system. In the Systembolaget catalog, Renat is associated with article number one, a distinctive marker of its longstanding presence in the Swedish state-controlled retail channel. The available reference material does not establish whether the brand has a significant current international distribution footprint. For its 125th birthday, Renat received a packaging redesign. Jan Johansson, an artist affiliated with Orrefors Glassworks, redesigned the bottle, while Roland Ingemarsson created a new label. Production of the bottle is associated with Limmared's glassworks. These packaging choices connect the brand's heritage not only to Swedish distilling but also to the country's glassmaking and design traditions. Renat appeared in the International Wine and Spirit Competition in 2005 and 2006. Beyond those documented appearances, the supplied reference material does not provide detailed award results, sales figures, ownership changes, executive appointments, advertising campaigns, or later product extensions. The brand's documented historical importance therefore rests primarily on its nineteenth-century distillation origin, its role in Swedish spirits culture, its relationship to Vin & Sprit, and its enduring position as a traditional purified Swedish spirit.

• 2006

  Second documented International Wine and Spirit Competition appearance

  [1]Renat vodkaen.wikipedia.org

  Renat was again featured in the International Wine and Spirit Competition.

• 2005

  International Wine and Spirit Competition appearance

  [1]Renat vodkaen.wikipedia.org

  Renat was featured in the International Wine and Spirit Competition.

• 1979

  Absolut Vodka launches after the Renat renaming

  [1]Renat vodkaen.wikipedia.org

  Absolut Vodka was launched after Renat had adopted its shorter brand name, linking the two brands within the history of Swedish vodka production while leaving Renat as a separate product.

• 1877

  Launch of continuously distilled purified spirit

  [1]Renat vodkaen.wikipedia.org

  Lars Olsson Smith introduced “Ten-fold purified spirits,” also called “Absolutely pure spirits,” using a new continuous-distillation boiler at Reimersholme in Stockholm.

• The product becomes known as Renat

  [1]Renat vodkaen.wikipedia.org

  The product name “Absolutely pure spirits” was changed to Renat, the Swedish word for purified, during the 1970s.

• 125th-anniversary packaging redesign

  [1]Renat vodkaen.wikipedia.org

  Jan Johansson redesigned the bottle and Roland Ingemarsson redesigned the label for Renat's 125th anniversary. The bottle is made at Limmared's glassworks.

A traditionally Swedish, unflavored and highly purified brännvin positioned around continuous distillation, wheat provenance, technical purity, and national heritage.

• Swedish brännvin and vodka · 1877

  Renat Brännvin

  Renat Brännvin is the brand's documented core product. It is a 37.5% ABV Swedish brännvin made from wheat grown in Västergötland. Its defining product claim is purification: the brand traces its heritage to Lars Olsson Smith's continuous-distillation process, which was intended to remove fusel oils and produce a clean neutral spirit. Renat is presented as an unflavored, traditional Swedish spirit rather than as a portfolio of flavored variants.

• 1877

  Launch of continuously distilled spiritProduct launch

  Background

  Lars Olsson Smith developed a new distillation boiler at Reimersholme in Stockholm in an effort to produce a more highly purified spirit.

  Action taken

  He launched a spirit marketed as “Ten-fold purified spirits” or “Absolutely pure spirits,” using continuous distillation to remove fusel oils.

  Aftermath

  The process became the technical and historical foundation of the Renat brand.

  Source

• Renaming from “Absolutely pure spirits” to RenatStrategy

  Background

  The original descriptive product name was replaced during the 1970s as Swedish vodka branding was being developed ahead of the launch of Absolut Vodka.

  Action taken

  The product was renamed Renat, using a Swedish term meaning purified.

  Aftermath

  The new name gave the product a concise standalone identity while preserving its purification-based heritage.

  Source

• 125th-anniversary packaging redesignOther

  Background

  Renat marked its 125th anniversary with a packaging update intended to reinforce its Swedish design and production heritage.

  Action taken

  Jan Johansson redesigned the bottle and Roland Ingemarsson created a new label; the bottle was manufactured at Limmared's glassworks.

  Aftermath

  The redesign connected Renat's identity with Swedish glassmaking and design as well as with traditional distilling.

  Source

1. 1Renat vodkaen.wikipedia.org