Stolichnaya (Russian: Столичная) is a vodka made of wheat and rye grain. It originated in the Soviet Union in 1938. There are two versions of the vodka, the version found outside Russia is made in Latvia, while the version found inside Russia is made there.
Since the early 2000s, Stoli Group, which manufactures Stolichnaya Vodka along with a variety of flavored spirits, has been based in Latvia. After its founding in the Soviet Union in 1938, the company's former CEO, Yuri Shefler, moved the firm out of Russia in 2000 as Putin was coming into power.
Which Other Vodkas Are Produced in Russia? In addition to Russian Standard and Beluga Noble, Russian brands include Husky Vodka, Jewel of Russia, Moskovskaya, Polugar, Ustianochka, and Zyr Russian Vodka.
OUR CATHEDRAL. Latvijas Balzams becomes part of the award-winning Stolichnaya® vodka production process. The historic Riga, Latvia facility still bottles our award-winning Stoli® lineup to this day.
Smirnoff (/ˈsmɪərnɒf/; Russian: [smʲɪrˈnof]) is a brand of vodka owned and produced by the British company Diageo. The Smirnoff brand began with a vodka distillery founded in Moscow by Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov (1831–1898). It is distributed in 130 countries.
In Russia, Stolichnaya Vodka is state-owned and that "Stoli" will keep the full name. But for most of the rest of the world, the United States included, Stolichnaya Vodka is produced in Latvia by the Luxembourg-based Stoli Group, controlled by the exiled Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler.
Is Absolut Vodka Russian? Absolut Vodka is a Swedish vodka, produced in the village of Åhus in southern Sweden, from Swedish winter wheat.
GREY GOOSE vodka is distilled in the gastronomy capital of the world, France, using the traditions of the Maître de Chai with only two ingredients – single-origin Picardie winter wheat and natural spring water.
Stoli Group, the makers of their popular Stolichnaya vodka, are Russian-themed. However, they are not made in Russia. According to their website, their products are manufactured and bottled in Riga, Latvia.
Stoli is probably the most famous and favorable vodka brand in Russia.
But the most popular vodkas in the U.S. – including Smirnoff, Ciroc, Tito's, Absolut, Svedka, Grey Goose, SKYY and New Amsterdam – are not made in Russia. They are made in Sweden, France, the U.K. and the U.S.
Belvedere Vodka is a brand of Polish rye vodka produced and distributed by LVMH. It is named after Belweder, the Polish presidential palace in Warsaw, whose illustration appears on its bottles. It is produced in the town of Żyrardów in Poland.
Smirnoff is named after Vladimir Smirnoff who fled from Russia during the country's revolution, but it's owned by British company Diageo (ticker: DEO) and is made in the U.S., Canada, and many other countries—but not Russia. The company, on its website, trumpets the phrase “proudly made in America” in red.
While Smirnoff had its beginnings in Russia, Vladimir Smirnoff fled the country during the Revolution and re-established the brand in Europe more than a century ago.
One source is our production philosophy, meaning that the majority of our production journey takes place in and around the small village of Åhus, Sweden. All ingredients for Absolut Vodka are sourced from Southern Sweden.
Belvedere is created by a collective - a family of employees who distill Belvedere in its hometown of Zyrardów in Poland. Belvedere only sources its Polska rye locally, working closely with eight agricultural partners allowing 100% traceability of the grains.
And since all vodka from Absolut is produced in Southern Sweden, our superb vodka tasted exactly the same then as it does now.
SKYY vodka is an American vodka spirit produced by the Campari America division of Campari Group of Milan, Italy, formerly SKYY Spirits LLC.
Instead, the brand will be known as Stoli, making official the nickname consumers have been using for years, and changing the name from an actual Russian word (“Stolichnaya” translates roughly to “metropolitan”) to one that doesn't mean anything.
It really depends on your personal preference. Some people prefer the smooth taste of Stoli, while others prefer the slightly sweeter taste of Smirnoff. Ultimately, the best way to find out is to try both vodkas for yourself and see which one you prefer.
Experts suggest that its use was common in Russia because it was an effective remedy against the cold weather. Curiously, the first to develop this distillate were monks, thanks to them, farmers of the eighteenth century began to drink vodka and its use began to grow in Russia.