Pernod's New Vodka Brand Includes 'Fresh Cut Grass'

There's nothing like the smell of fresh-cut grass to conjure thoughts of spring, some sneezing and ... a vodka buzz? Proving that the liquor industry's thirst for new flavors is nearing a point of absurdity, Pernod Ricard is launching a vodka brand called Oddka, which has one flavor that is inspired by the front lawn. The "fresh-cut grass" offering is described as "crisp, citrusy, sweet and refreshing." All this and you don't even have to empty the mower bag. The other "sensory-pleasing flavors" are: apple pie, salty caramel popcorn, wasabi and "electricity," which is described as "a bolt of lightning in a bottle -- but safer; tickling taste buds and sparking curiosity everywhere." "The experimental qualities of this new brand allow us to broaden our footprint in the vodka category and continue to push the industry's flavor profiles, expanding beyond the sweet and savory into experiential flavors that provoke curiosity," said Daniel Lundberg, global marketing director at Wyborowa Co., which is a division of Absolut Co. within the Pernod Ricard group. (The new brand is technically called "Oddka by Wyborowa.") Oddka, which is made in Poland, will initially launch regionally in the U.S. in select states including Alabama, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island before expanding distribution in early 2013. The brand will be supported digitally with a new fictional character called "Wit Oddoski," described as a "charismatic individualist and curious 2-D line drawing born in the age of invention and experimentation who marches to the beat of his own drum." He lives on Facebook, Twitter and a mobile app available on iTunes on which consumers are encouraged to grow a virtual "oddstache" mustache on mobile photos, whose growth will accelerate the more "likes" it gets on Facebook. The brand's agency is Havas Worldwide London.

Pernod's New Vodka Brand Includes 'Fresh Cut Grass'

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