Long Tail Libations launches high-end organic vodka

CHICAGO Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Budweiser, is branching out beyond domestic beer with the launch of its own superpremium organic vodka, Purus.

Made from Italian wheat, Purus is the second spirits brand developed by Anheuser-Busch’s product development arm, Long Tail Libations. The first, launched in 2005, was Jekyll & Hydle, a combination of raspberry and licorice-flavored liqueurs. Purus, selling for $35 a bottle, will initially be marketed in the most exclusive high-end lounges, restaurants and specialty grocery and liquor stores in the Northeast, according to the company.

The teardrop-shaped bottle touts Purus’ green credentials: it is 100 percent recyclable and the “tree-free” label uses soy-based ink. The company also said it will plant one tree for each of the first 100,000 registrants at Purus’ Web site. The company is looking to further extend its portfolio—over the summer it filed trademark applications for pomegranate and acai-flavored vodkas and cachaca.