| Country | Russia |
|---|---|
| Region | Moscow |
| Status | Still produced |
| Owner | Disputed between Russian government and Soyuzplodimport |
| Website | Stoli.com |
| Composition | |
| Source | wheat and rye |
| Water source | Kaliningrad |
| Filtration | Quadruple - quartz, activated charcoal, sand and cloth |
| ABV | 35-50% |
Stolichnaya (Russian: Столичная, also known as Stoli) is a Russian vodka made of wheat and rye grain.
Contents |
Fermentation of Stolichnaya starts with wheat and rye grains and artesial water from the Russian city of Samara 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.[1]
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".)[2]
Stolichnaya has its origins in the Moscow State Wine Warehouse No. 1 which was opened in 1901 by the authorities to ensure higher quality vodka production.[1]
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.[3] It is likely that it was created by V. G. Svirida around 1944.[4] However, there is a trademark patent dated 1938, which is sometimes quoted as another birth date.[5]
In 1953, Stolichnaya was introduced on the international trade show in Bern and received a gold medal.[3]
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.[6] This exchange led to Pepsi-Cola being the first foreign product sanctioned for sale in the U.S.S.R.[7]
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union Stolichnaya vodka continued to be produced for export in several of the ex-Soviet republics, including Ukraine.[8] 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.[9] 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.[9]
Since 2001, Stolichnaya trademark has been an object of a dispute between the SPI Group and the government of Russia.[10] In 2002, a Moscow court ruled that Russia would get back the rights to the Stolichnaya brand name from Soyuzplodimport (SPI).[11]
In 2009, William Grant & Sons USA signed an agreement to distribute Stolichnaya in the USA.
Stoli is available in many varieties, including:[12]
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.[13]
Stolichnaya utilizes a SMS-based marketing utility to market their new products. Stolichnaya also advertises heavily with digital banners behind homeplate during televised New York Yankees games.[14]
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.[15]
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.[16]. In the hit UK sitcom Absolutely Fabulous Stolichnaya vodka was constantly portrayed as Eddie and Patsy's Favorite Vodka.