Tabasco Files Trade Dress Lawsuit Against Stoli Over ‘Halapeño’ Vodka Packaging

Published

February 3, 2026

Filed under

Design News & Trends, Spirits & Liquor Packaging

A bottle of Stoli Halapeno Pepper vodka on a red background, accompanied by a cocktail in a glass with ice and lemon slices, and a cocktail in a jar garnished with celery.

Recently, Absolut and Tabasco launched their spicy vodka, made with the sauce’s fermented pepper mash. Now, however, one of Absolut’s competitors has found itself in hot water after being sued by Tabasco.

Apparently, Richard Pernod’s Absolut wasn’t the first vodka McIlhenny, the makers of Tabasco, spoke with about a potential partnership. According to a lawsuit filed by McIlhenny, discussions with Stoli began in 2024, but when those talks ended in December, Stoli went forward with its version of spicy vodka anyway.

A bottle of Stoli Halapeno Pepper vodka beside a glass of spicy cocktail garnished with olives and mint leaves, alongside a bottle of Tabasco pepper sauce, against a green background.

Rudy Sanchez

Rudy Sanchez is a product marketing consultant based in Southern California. Once described by a friend as her “technology life coach,” he is a techie and avid lifelong gamer. When he’s not writing or helping clients improve their products, he’s either watching comedies on Netflix, playing the latest shooter or battle royale game or out exploring the world via Ingress and Pokémon Go.