Smirnoff

Smirnoff is a vodka distillery founded in Moscow. The Smirnoff company dates back to its creation in the 1860s by Piotr Arsenieyevich Smirnov.

His distillery was the first in the world to use the charcoal filtering process. By 1886 the Smirnov factory received the official purveyors to the Imperial Russian court mark. Piotr Smirnov died in 1910 and was succeeded by Vladimir Smirnov. The company flourished and produced more than 4 million cases of vodka per year.

During the October Revolution, the distillery was confiscated and the family had to flee. Vladimir Smirnov re-established the factory in 1920 in Istanbul. Four years later he moved to Lwów and started to sell the vodka under the contemporary French spelling of the name, "Smirnoff". The new product was a success and by the end of 1930 it was exported to most European countries. An additional distillery was founded in Paris in 1925.

However, the Great Depression made Vladimir Smirnov sell the brand to an American, Rudolph Kunett, in 1934 who moved the company to the USA. Thanks to the introduction of Vodka Cocktails and successful advertisement campaigns Smirnoff Vodka is the best selling vodka in the world. It is now owned by British drinks giant Diageo.

During the 1990s in Russia one of the Piotr Smirnov offspring started to produce Smirnov' (Смирновъ in Russian) vodka, claiming to be "The Only Real Smirnov". After a number of lawsuits Smirnoff successfully claimed the trademark back (See History of Smirnoff Brand)., whilst in 2006 Diagio tied up a joint venture deal with the Смирновъ company.

The Smirnoff company has the naming rights to the Smirnoff Music Centre, a concert amphitheatre in Dallas, Texas. They also sponsor the Smirnoff Underbelly, a major venue at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Smirnoff vodka has been featured in most of the James Bond movies over the last 40 years, starting with Dr. No, although Stolichnaya and Absolut have also made casual appearances and Finlandia vodka was promoted in the most recent Bond, Die Another Day. (In the original Ian Fleming novels, Bond preferred unnamed Polish or Russian vodka.)

In the late 1990s Smirnoff introduced a series of new products onto the UK and later the European and North American market, which quickly became popular among young people, especially within the club scene (See "Alcopops"). There are two different products by the name of Smirnoff Ice. One, sold in the United States and France, is a citrus-flavoured malt beverage (5% ABV). The other, sold in Europe (excluding France), Latin America, and Canada, is a premixed vodka drink (4,7% ABV).

In North America and Australia they have also introduced a line of new flavoured vodkas with the "Twist" moniker appended on the end of the name, such as Smirnoff Raspberry Vodka Twist. Other flavours include Green Apple, Orange, Grape, Cranberry, Raspberry, Citrus, Vanilla and Watermelon.

Vodka sold under the Smirnoff brand in Australia is manufactured in New Zealand and is 37.5% ABV; it is considered to be inferior to other Smirnoff vodkas, whilst Smirnoff Penka is a premium Polish vodka.

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Vodkas | Diageo brands

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