Tom of Finland Organic Vodka: “Make a statement without saying a word.”
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One look draws you right in: the sexy man peering over his shoulder at you is the work of artist Touko Laaksonen, also known as Tom of Finland, who in the 1950s created the gay male iconography so familiar to us now. Many people think the man on the bottle is Freddie Mercury; in fact, this image of Tom’s lover — known as “Kake” — is what inspired Freddie, The Village People, and Judas Priest among countless other artists.
Finnish-born Touko was the creative director of the Helsinki office of McCann-Erickson, yet living a closeted life as was common in that era. Since his youth Touko had drawn strong, joyful, sexy men – always wearing something, if only their boots – and finally his personal expression needed as much freedom as his artistic. Touko moved to LA to live his truest life and took on the professional name “Tom of Finland.” His Echo Park home — with his lover and life partner, Durk — still exists as Tom House, and is home of Tom of Finland Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting and preserving erotic art, freedom of expression, and tolerance for any sexual orientation. Tom’s art is in the permanent collections of New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), among many others.
The Foundation licensed the use of the image and name to Tom of Finland Organic Vodka, which in turn donates a full 5% of sales back to the Foundation. The vodka is sold in 10 European countries, and came to the U.S. this year; it is already sold in 21 states, and retails for $34.99/750mL. Crafted at the historic, award-winning Lignell & Piispanen distillery in Kuopio — the oldest family run distillery in the country, located in central Finland’s Lakeland area — the vodka is made of 95% wheat with 5% rye for added spice, and water from the surrounding Arctic region. The vodka is certified organic by the EU and does not have any added sugar. Early accolades include a Gold Medals from the International Wine & Spirits Competition and San Diego Spirits Festival (as well as a medal for design), and 93 points from The Tasting Panel.
The vodka has clean aromas with subtle hints of rye spice. The palate is silky smooth with a touch of vanilla cream soda balanced by a crescendo of spice that hints at cracked black pepper and star anise. The finish is delicate, soft, and mellow. Enjoy some great vodka and support a great cause!
About Tom of Finland Organic Vodka: “Make a statement without saying a word.”
Tom of Finland Organic Vodka launched in the Spring of 2017 in its homeland of Finland, where it is certified organic.
It is named for the artist Touko Laaksonen, aka Tom of Finland, who in the 1950s created an enduring gay visual iconography: think Freddie Mercury, The Village People, Judas Priest, and Jean-Paul Gaultier. Tom’s work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA, New York City), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, etc.
Tom of Finland Organic Vodka is distilled using arctic water 100% organic Finnish wheat (95%), with 5% rye added for its characteristic spicy notes. The super-premium vodka (SRP: $34.99/750mL) routinely medals in competitions such as the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, SIP Awards, World Vodka Awards, and Vodka Masters.
The vodka donates 5% of all sales to the 501c3 Tom of Finland Foundation, which is based in Los Angeles and aims to preserve and promote erotic art, as well as the acceptance of all sexual choices.
Tom of Finland Vodka is currently available in 10 European countries, and just launched in the US mid-January 2019, where it is growing extremely quickly; it is already available in 23 states, and in major chains such as Total Wine, Von’s, and Walmart, to name a few.
