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The Zero brand belongs to a young Kyrgyz company whose products are little known outside the country. Agreements for the supply of vodka in 2015 were concluded only with the countries of the post-Soviet space – Russia, Ukraine, Moldova. And only Zero Black is supplied there, although the brand line includes five more types of drink: Zero White in a white bottle, Zero Red in red, Zero Gold in golden, Zero Platinum in silver and Zero Blue in blue.
Historical reference. The Kyrgyz Alco Trade Limited Liability Company was established in 2010 on the basis of the Kara-Balta enterprise that emerged in 1994 and went bankrupt due to the crisis in the country. Kyrgyz Alco Trade LLC acquired an enterprise with modern equipment and managed to quickly gain a foothold in the domestic market.
The company’s products are sold in all stores of the country, and in 2014 it even became the sales leader in Kyrgyzstan, ahead of the country’s largest producer of alcoholic beverages, Ayu. After this triumph, the first international contracts were concluded.
Features of production and design
The enterprise has its own well with soft melt water, which is used in production, and 4 automated bottling lines. Drinking water is purified and additionally softened using special equipment from the German company Grunback.
The drink is based on a new generation of alcohol “Alpha”, which has undergone multi-level purification. As additives, sugar syrup, vanillin, citric acid are used.
Vodka is sold in original bottles with colored coating, rectangular base and weighted bottom. In the case of Zero Black, this coating is black. There is a convex pattern on the glass, reminiscent of traditional Kyrgyz patterns. The word Zero is woven into the pattern at the top.
The name of the vodka continues the inscription on the square label: “Harmful impurities”, that is, “Zero harmful impurities”.
The inscription on the triangular counter-label convinces the consumer of the correctness of the choice: “Even if you drink to the bottom, you won’t get sick.”
An interesting fact from the history of Kyrgyz vodka
Vodka in Kyrgyzstan does not belong to popular drinks, which is understandable: 70% of the country’s population are Muslims. They began to make strong alcohol there not so long ago, after the collapse of the USSR, so there are no traditions. But there is a good experience: since 2010, a large Kyrgyz alcohol producer, Ayu, has been annually presenting new brands of strong drinks in Moscow, at the international exhibition ProdExpo.
A scandal erupted around this company, the leader of the alcohol industry in Kyrgyzstan, in 2016: British alcohol producers proved that the design of Vivat and Zenit vodka bottles was borrowed from them. And although the British did not go to court and did not even demand compensation for damages for copyright infringement, manufacturers removed this vodka from the range. True, they did not comment on the loud statement of the British colleagues.
The prosecutor was a representative of the British corporation Chivas Brothers Limited, which is part of the alcohol giant Pernod Ricard. Kyrgyz producers copied the design for their vodka from the famous English Beefeater 24 gin.
Tasting features of Zero Black
Zero Black (40%) is a crystal-clear vodka made from alcohol of the Alpha category with a subtle aroma of wheat grain. The taste is subtle, with a noticeable hint of vanilla. Served chilled with hot meat dishes of European and Asian cuisine, with spicy appetizers, pickled mushrooms and pickles.
