Vodka is Russia’s most loved cultural export. Many believe it is the origin of vodka. The word itself, a diminutive form of water in Russian, is associated with Russia. However, just like not all vodka tastes the same, vodka made in Russia is not all equal. Your favourite vodka most likely came from somewhere else.
The market-research company ISWR estimates that only 14% is produced in Russia, mainly consumed by Russians. The US Distilled Spirits Council shows that only 1.2% of US vodka imports were from Russia during the first half of 2021. Russian Standard is made in Russia. However, Smirnoff and Stoli, which sound very Russian, are produced today in the United States and Latvia.
This is the place where vodka brands that are most loved are made:
Absolut (Sweden)
This vodka was created in 1879 and is made in Sweden in Nobbelov, Ahus, with winter wheat from south Sweden. Absolut is owned and managed by Pernod Ricard, a French company.
Beluga Noble (Russia)
This vodka is owned by the Russian Beluga Group and has been made in Siberia’s Mariinsk Distillery with local wheat and water since 2002. The Beluga Group, including Belenkaya, own seven other vodkas.
Belvedere (Poland)
The Polish rye vodka brand was first introduced in 1993. It is manufactured and distributed by LVMH (the French luxury company that owns Louis Vuitton and Hennessy), among other large boozy and non-boozy names. It is made from Polska rye, central Polish rye, and distilled in Zyrardow.
Ciroc (France)
This celebrity favourite vodka is not made from grains like most vodkas. It is instead made from French grapes. It was founded in 2003 and is made in South France. British spirits company Diageo distributes it.
Grey Goose (France)
Bacardi Limited, located in Bermuda, is the owner of this vodka made from wheat. It was created in 1997. It is made from winter wheat from Picardy in France and spring water from Cognac in France.
Ketel One (Netherlands)
Since 1983, this vodka was made at the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam. It is made from “winter wheat” grown in Europe. In 2008, the company joined forces with British spirits conglomerate Diageo.
New Amsterdam (United States)
The vodka and gin brands were named after Manhattan’s 17th-century moniker. They originated in Modesto in California, where E. & J. Gallo, its owner, is based, and where operations continue today. The vodka was launched in 2011 and is 95% American-sourced corn.
Russian Standard (Russia)
Russian Standard, as its name suggests, is made in Russia. Roustam Tauriko is the owner of Roust Corporation. He is also an oligarch and owns the Russian Standard Bank. Vodka was first introduced in 1998. It is made in St. Petersburg using winter wheat from Russia Steppes and Lake Ladoga glacial water. Roust Corporation owned the Polish Zubrowka brand until 2021, when Maspex Group, a Polish-based company, purchased it.
Smirnoff (United States)
Smirnoff can be traced to the Moscow distillery PA Smirnov, which opened in 1864. However, the corn-based spirit is now Russian by name only. Vladimir, the third son of PA, fled the country in the Russian Revolution in 1919 to start making vodka in France. His business expanded to other nations, including the United States, where operations are now located in Plainfield, Illinois. Diageo, a British spirits company, owns Smirnoff. It is produced around the globe, including in the U.S.A., Canada and Jamaica.
Skyy (United States)
This wheat-based vodka was first introduced in 1992 in San Francisco. Skyy states that the distillation plant is located in Pekin, Illinois. Skyy also says that both water and wheat are produced locally.
Stoli (Latvia)
Stolichnaya was a Russian state-produced vodka that was made from wheat. It was trademarked in 1938 in the former Soviet Union. Since 2000, Stoli has been made in Latvia by the Stoli Group. SPI Group from Luxembourg also owns it. After its oligarch owner Yuri Shefler, who had publicly criticized Vladimir Putin, was exiled to Russia. In March 2022, the company changed its name to avoid confusion about its Russian roots. It used Russian ingredients in its vodka but declared after the invasion of Ukraine that it would no longer work with Russian suppliers and will only use Slovakian sources.
Svedka (Sweden)
Svedka was founded in 1998. It is a combination of “Swedish” (vodka) and “Swedish”. It’s made in Lidkoping in Sweden with Swedish winter wheat. Since 2007, the American-based Constellation Brands has held ownership.
Tito’s Handmade Vodka, United States
Fifth Generation is the first Texas legal distillery to produce this vodka since 1995 when the Austin company was founded.
What other Vodkas are produced in Russia?
Russian Standard and Beluga Noble are not the only Russian brands.
What if I want to buy Ukrainian vodka?
Ukrainian vodka can be purchased at many US retailers.