(WETM) — As bars and restaurants across the country take part in the trend of dumping Russian vodka, there is confusion as to which brands are made in Russia.
Two popular brands of vodka are: Stoli (Stolichnaya) and Smirnoff. Both are not made in Russia.
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.
They also publicly condemn the military invasion of Ukraine on their website. They say, “Stoli® Group has had a long history of fighting oppression from the Russian regime. We unequivocally condemn the military action in Ukraine and stand in support of the Ukrainian people.”
Smirnoff states on their website that their products are “proudly made in America”. They state, “While Smirnoff had its beginnings in Russia, Vladmir Smirnoff fled the country during the Revolution and re-established the brand in Europe more than a century ago. We’ve been in America since 1934 and are fully owned by Diageo, a British company.”
Pennsylvania ordered the removal of Russian-made products from state-owned liquor stores and Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration lit the front of the Capitol in the yellow and blue colors of Ukraine’s flag.
