Stolichnaya
Encyclopedia
Stolichnaya is a Russia
n vodka
made of wheat
and rye
grain.
and the Kaliningrad region
. The fermentation takes about 60 hours. Once fermentation is complete the resulting liquid is distilled four times to a strength of 96.4% ABV. This spirit is then diluted to bottling strength with more artesial well water. It is then filtered through quartz
, sand
, activated charcoal, and finally through woven cloth.
The brand's logo features the words "Stolichnaya vodka" in gold cursive script
, over a drawing of a Moscow
landmark currently under re-construction, the Hotel Moskva
, where Stalin once stayed and the site of one of the first Metro stations in the capital city. ("Stolichnaya" is the adjectival form of "stolitsa" ["столица"], meaning "capital city".)
which was opened in 1901 by the authorities to ensure higher quality vodka production.
There's a confusion about the actual birth date of Stolichnaya vodka. The earliest confirmed production date is 1948, but the label design clearly predates 1946. It is likely that it was created by V. G. Svirida around 1944. However, there is a trademark patent dated 1938, which is sometimes quoted as another birth date.
In 1953, Stolichnaya was introduced on the international trade show in Bern and received a gold medal.
In 1972, the PepsiCo
company struck a barter agreement with the then government of the Soviet Union
, in which PepsiCo granted exportation and Western marketing rights to Stolichnaya vodka in exchange for importation and Soviet marketing of Pepsi-Cola. This exchange led to Pepsi-Cola being the first foreign product sanctioned for sale in the U.S.S.R.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Stolichnaya vodka continued to be produced for export in several of the ex-Soviet republics, including Ukraine
. The bottles retained their Soviet-era labels.
In August 1991, the Soviet patent office revoked the Soviet agency's right to use the Stolichnaya name in Russia. This led to numerous lawsuits, including what companies could market vodka under this name in the United States. On November 20, 1992, a federal judge ruled that PepsiCo would maintain the exclusive right to the name in the United States, as allowing others to market under the name would bring a "risk of irreparable harm" to the trademark.
Since 2001, Stolichnaya trademark has been an object of a dispute between the SPI Group and the government of Russia. In 2002, a Moscow court ruled that Russia
would get back the rights to the Stolichnaya brand name from Soyuzplodimport (SPI).
In 2009, William Grant & Sons USA
signed an agreement to distribute Stolichnaya in the USA.
Several of these offerings have performed well at international spirit ratings
competitions. For example, the Elit label was awarded a silver medal at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
-based marketing utility to market their new products. Stolichnaya also advertises heavily with digital banners behind homeplate during televised New York Yankees
games.
Stolichnaya's chief rival Russian Standard Vodka aroused controversy when it questioned Stolichnaya's Russian authenticity. The international Stolichnaya is distilled in Russia but bottled in Latvia
. Stolichnaya distributor Pernod Ricard
responded by insisting that it is an authentic Russian vodka as nothing is added or removed during the bottling.
In Eminem
's 2010 music video
for Love the Way You Lie
, Stolichnaya vodka was included in several scenes. The product placement
begins with actor Dominic Monaghan
stealing
a bottle of the vodka, after which he and actress Megan Fox
drink from it on the roof of the liquor store
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
made of wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and rye
Rye
Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
grain.
Description
Fermentation of Stolichnaya starts with wheat and rye grains and artesial water from the Russian city of SamaraSamara, Russia
Samara , is the sixth largest city in Russia. It is situated in the southeastern part of European Russia at the confluence of the Volga and Samara Rivers. Samara is the administrative center of Samara Oblast. Population: . The metropolitan area of Samara-Tolyatti-Syzran within Samara Oblast...
and the Kaliningrad region
Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated on the Baltic coast. It has a population of The oblast forms the westernmost part of the Russian Federation, but it has no land connection to the rest of Russia. Since its creation it has been an exclave of the Russian SFSR and then the...
. The fermentation takes about 60 hours. Once fermentation is complete the resulting liquid is distilled four times to a strength of 96.4% ABV. This spirit is then diluted to bottling strength with more artesial well water. It is then filtered through quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
, sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
, activated charcoal, and finally through woven cloth.
The brand's logo features the words "Stolichnaya vodka" in gold cursive script
Cursive
Cursive, also known as joined-up writing, joint writing, or running writing, is any style of handwriting in which the symbols of the language are written in a simplified and/or flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing easier or faster...
, over a drawing of a Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
landmark currently under re-construction, the Hotel Moskva
Hotel Moskva (Moscow)
The Hotel Moskva name has been used for two identical buildings on the same spot in Moscow, Russia located near Red Square in close proximity to the old City Hall. The first Hotel Moskva was originally constructed from 1932 until 1938, it opened as a hotel in December 1935...
, where Stalin once stayed and the site of one of the first Metro stations in the capital city. ("Stolichnaya" is the adjectival form of "stolitsa" ["столица"], meaning "capital city".)
History
Stolichnaya has its origins in the Moscow State Wine Warehouse No. 1Moscow Distillery Crystal
Moscow Distillery Cristall is a distillery in Russia, known for producing traditional Russian vodka. Originally founded in 1901 as a state sanctioned distillery, Cristall now competes domestically and abroad with a varied selection of vodkas and other assorted spirits.-History:Founded as "Moscow...
which was opened in 1901 by the authorities to ensure higher quality vodka production.
There's a confusion about the actual birth date of Stolichnaya vodka. The earliest confirmed production date is 1948, but the label design clearly predates 1946. It is likely that it was created by V. G. Svirida around 1944. However, there is a trademark patent dated 1938, which is sometimes quoted as another birth date.
In 1953, Stolichnaya was introduced on the international trade show in Bern and received a gold medal.
In 1972, the PepsiCo
PepsiCo
PepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
company struck a barter agreement with the then government of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, in which PepsiCo granted exportation and Western marketing rights to Stolichnaya vodka in exchange for importation and Soviet marketing of Pepsi-Cola. This exchange led to Pepsi-Cola being the first foreign product sanctioned for sale in the U.S.S.R.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
Stolichnaya vodka continued to be produced for export in several of the ex-Soviet republics, including Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The bottles retained their Soviet-era labels.
In August 1991, the Soviet patent office revoked the Soviet agency's right to use the Stolichnaya name in Russia. This led to numerous lawsuits, including what companies could market vodka under this name in the United States. On November 20, 1992, a federal judge ruled that PepsiCo would maintain the exclusive right to the name in the United States, as allowing others to market under the name would bring a "risk of irreparable harm" to the trademark.
Since 2001, Stolichnaya trademark has been an object of a dispute between the SPI Group and the government of Russia. In 2002, a Moscow court ruled that Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
would get back the rights to the Stolichnaya brand name from Soyuzplodimport (SPI).
In 2009, William Grant & Sons USA
William Grant & Sons
William Grant & Sons Ltd. is an independent, family-owned Scottish company which distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is now run by the descendants of the founder. It is the largest of the handful of Scotch whisky...
signed an agreement to distribute Stolichnaya in the USA.
Varieties
Stoli is available in many varieties, including:- Stolichnaya 80 proof (red label)
- Stolichnaya 80 proof (Kristal or gold)
- Stolichnaya 100 proof (blue label)
- Stolichnaya Elit ("ultra-luxury" i.e. ultra-filtered)
- Stoli Blakberi (Blackberry)
- Stoli Blueberi (Blueberry)
- Stoli Citros (Citrus)
- Stoli Cranberi (Cranberry)
- Stoli Gala Applik (Apple)
- Stoli Ohranj (Orange)
- Stoli Peachik (Peach; formerly named Stoli Persik)
- Stoli Razberi (Raspberry)
- Stoli Strasberi (Strawberry)
- Stoli Vanil (Vanilla)
- Stoli White Pomegranik (White Pomegranate)
- Stoli Wild Cherri (Wild Cherry)
- Stoli Chocolat Razberi (Chocolate and Raspberry)
Several of these offerings have performed well at international spirit ratings
Spirit ratings
With a growing number of microdistilleries and an expanding number of offerings from large corporate entities, a number of institutions have arisen to provide professional evaluations of individual spirits...
competitions. For example, the Elit label was awarded a silver medal at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Marketing
Stolichnaya utilizes a SMSShort message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
-based marketing utility to market their new products. Stolichnaya also advertises heavily with digital banners behind homeplate during televised New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
games.
Stolichnaya's chief rival Russian Standard Vodka aroused controversy when it questioned Stolichnaya's Russian authenticity. The international Stolichnaya is distilled in Russia but bottled in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
. Stolichnaya distributor Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard is a French company that produces distilled beverages. The company's eponymous products, Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis, are both anise-flavoured liqueurs and are often referred to simply as Pernod or Ricard...
responded by insisting that it is an authentic Russian vodka as nothing is added or removed during the bottling.
In Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
's 2010 music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for Love the Way You Lie
Love the Way You Lie
"Love the Way You Lie" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his seventh studio album, Recovery . It was released as the album's second single on August 9, 2010, by Interscope-Geffen-A&M. The song features vocals by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. According to her, its theme...
, Stolichnaya vodka was included in several scenes. The product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
begins with actor Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan is an English actor. He has received international attention from playing Merry in Peter Jackson's adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and for his role as Charlie Pace on the television show Lost....
stealing
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
a bottle of the vodka, after which he and actress Megan Fox
Megan Fox
Megan Denise Fox is an American actress and model. She began her acting career in 2001 with several minor television and film roles, and played a regular role on Hope & Faith. In 2004, she launched her film career with a role in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen...
drink from it on the roof of the liquor store
Liquor store
In the United States, Australia and Canada, a liquor store is a type of store that specializes in the sale of alcoholic beverages. In South Africa and Namibia these stores are generally called bottle stores....
.