The most recognizable brand of Russian vodka has become famous at home and abroad for its high quality and controversial history.
Today, alcohol with a big name is produced by the Moscow Kristall plant, and the Stolichnaya brand is formally owned by Soyuzplodoimport FKP. But disputes over the ownership of the legendary trademark do not subside to this day.
cocktails with vodka
History of Stolichnaya vodka
The first batch of the famous vodka was released in 1941 (according to other sources – in 1944) at the Leningrad Distillery, although the trademark was registered several years earlier.
The recipe for the drink was developed by Glavlikervodka specialist Viktor Grigorievich Svirida, based on high-quality refined grain alcohol. The technology has been preserved to this day: multi-stage filtration through coal and quartz sand is used to process raw materials, and a little sugar is added to soften the taste.
During the war years, the production of “Stolichnaya” was suspended and resumed only in the early 50s. They began to produce it not only at the Leningrad plant, but also in other regions.
It is known for certain that in 1954, Stolichnaya, according to the results of a “blind” test, bypassed the famous Smirnoff brand, thereby starting a triumphal march around the world. The export of the drink outside the USSR was organized presumably in the 60s.
Since 1971 Stolichnaya began to be sold in the USA. The right to distribute it was transferred to PepsiCo in exchange for an obligation to build a carbonated drinks plant in Novorossiysk.
In America, the abbreviated name Stoli stuck to the “Russian legend”. At this time, the product also had a memorable slogan: “Only vodka from Russia is real Russian vodka.”
To attract attention, the label was also embellished: it became more effective, thanks to gilding and bright colors.
The 70s turned out to be triumphant for Stolichnaya: the annual production volume reached 20 million liters. But the “golden” age gave way to decline: by the beginning of the 90s, the product was practically forced out of the American market by the brands Smirnoff and Absolut.
A significant role in this was played by the war in Afghanistan and the situation in the Far East, which caused protest among foreign consumers. The situation worsened even more after the cancellation of the trademark in 1991: the drink began to be produced everywhere, which could not but affect the quality.
At the end of the XNUMXth century, the trademark was restored, after which it was repeatedly resold. Today, work is underway to restore the rights to the Russian brand and to rehabilitate the damaged reputation of Stolichnaya. Nevertheless, in many countries the Stolichnaya brand is produced by the European company SPI Group.
Types of vodka Stolichnaya
Stolichnaya premium vodka is distinguished by its crystal clearness, delicate aroma and the absence of third-party impurities, which makes it an ideal cocktail ingredient. Taste: soft, velvety. Fortress: 40%.
Metropolitan
The classic version of the product, produced since the 40s.
Ingredients: deluxe grain alcohol, prepared water, refined white sugar.
On account of the drink – more than a dozen prestigious awards, 4 of which belong to the Soviet period. Volume: 0,5 l, 0,7 l, 0,75 l and 1 l.
Capital North
New in 2014. In addition to the ingredients included in the traditional version, it includes natural honey of light varieties.
It has a pleasant aroma and mild taste. Volume: 0,5 l and 0,75 l.
Capital Crystal
A special line with a black label, produced under license from SPI since 2018. Volume: 0,375 l, 0,5 l and 0,75 l.
Interesting Facts
Date of foundation of the “Russian legend”
It is customary to consider 1941, but there are at least 5 alternatives stretched over 15 years (from 1938 to 1953).
100 International Top Spirits Brand
In the early 70s, Stolichnaya (for the first time among Russian vodkas) topped the prestigious world rating.
exemplary label
At the end of the XNUMXth century, Thomas Hein, in his book Everything About Packaging, awarded the title of exemplary label to Stolichnaya. For its time, it was truly revolutionary: for the first time on a vodka bottle, in addition to the inscription, a drawing appeared.
It depicted the newly opened hotel “Moscow”.
It is noteworthy that due to the underdevelopment of the Soviet printing house, few consumers recognized the “visiting card of the country” in the gray building.
It is believed that the author of the image was a more experienced illustrator Vladimir Yakovlev. It is also possible that both artists worked on the creation of the label.
Each bottle in a piece of paper
The conditions for the delivery of the famous vodka included a requirement to wrap each bottle in paper. For these purposes, special equipment was used with a capacity of 3 thousand units per hour.
Initially, instead of Stolichnaya, the United States planned to supply Moscow vodka
But it turned out that the American patent office has a brand with a similar name – Moscow, produced by a certain Mr. Moskowitz, so the decision was changed in favor of a younger product.
The creator of “Playboy” took part in the advertising of vodka
It included: Hugh Hefner, actress Julia Stiles, Twitter creative director Biz Stone.
Relevance: 24.06.2019
Tags: Vodka, mash, moonshine, Vodka brands