How Russian Is Your Vodka?
MSNBC has a great article about Stolichnaya and its current trademark dispute.
Stolichnaya is the world’s best-selling vodka brand with $2 billion in annual sales. In the US, it’s only the third behind Smirnoff and Absolut. However, it was the only Russian vodka on sale during the Cold War due to a barter agreement with PepsiCo in 1972.
Now, it’s trademark is being disputed in the US, and the vodka itself can’t even be sold in Russia due to allegations that the brand name was originally stolen. The vodka itself is now made in Latvia by the Russian company S.P.I. and is distributed by the French company Pernod Ricard. A US court has ruled that they can continue selling the vodka here, though, despite the backing of the Russian government of the claimants.
It’s really quite confusing, especially since S.P.I. claims that the vodka is made in Russia and then shipped to Latvia for bottling and exporting. However, customs documents from the Russian government (which is obviously battling S.P.I.’s enemies) prove otherwise.
I suppose in the end it probably doesn’t even matter if it’s Russian or not or who owns the brand. I just need to know that it’s a decent, potable vodka.
