Smirnoff

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Smirnoff

Type	Vodka
Proof	80
Manufacturer	Diageo
Country of origin	Russia
Introduced	ca. 1860s
Related products	List of vodkas

Smirnoff is a brand of vodka now owned and produced by British drinks giant Diageo. Products under the Smirnoff brand, which began with a vodka distillery founded in Moscow by Piotr Arsenieyevich Smirnov, is now distributed in 130 countries and includes flavored vodka and malt beverages. Smirnoff vodka is both the best selling vodka and the best selling high-priced distilled spirit in the world as of March 2006.^[1]

1 History
- 1.1 Since the 1990s
2 Numbering
3 In popular culture
4 Smirnov
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

Piotr Smirnov first founded his vodka distillery in Moscow in the 1860s, under the trading name of PA Smirnoff. He 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 (formerly Poland, now Lviv, Ukraine) 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.

In the 1930s Vladimir met Rudolph Kunett, a Russian who had emigrated to America in 1920. The Kunett family had been a supplier of spirits to Smirnoff in Moscow before the Revolution. In 1933 Vladimir sold Kunett the right to begin producing Smirnoff vodka in North America. However, the business in America was not as successful as Kunett had hoped. In 1938 Kunett couldn't afford to pay for the necessary sales licenses, and contacted John Martin, president of Heublein, who agreed to buy the rights to Smirnoff.

Thanks to the introduction of vodka cocktails and successful advertisement campaigns, Smirnoff increased in popularity both in the US and internationally.

[edit] Since the 1990s

A bottle of Smirnoff vodka

During the 1990s one of Piotr Smirnov's descendants started producing Smirnov (Смирновъ in Ukraine) vodka in Ukraine, claiming to be "The Only Real Smirnov". After a number of lawsuits Smirnoff successfully claimed back the trademark, whilst in 2006 Diageo tied up a joint venture deal with the Смирновъ company. [1]

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.

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 (5.5% ABV) with variants in 'Original,' and 'Triple Black.' The other, sold in Europe (excluding France), Latin America, Australia and Canada, is a premixed vodka drink. It also has variants in 'Original' and 'Black Ice' (or in some markets, 'Triple Black' or 'Double Black'), ranging from 5% to 7% ABV in different markets.

Smirnoff Ice Twisted was a spin-off of the American Smirnoff Ice that featured flavors such as Mandarin Orange and Green Apple. Confusion in branding between Smirnoff Twist Vodka and Smirnoff Twisted Malt Beverage resulted in the decision to drop the "Twisted" from the flavored line of Smirnoff Ice. Current flavors include Watermelon, Wild Grape, Pomegranate Fusion, Arctic Berry (Blueberry), Green Apple Bite and Raspberry Burst.

The next line of Smirnoff's malt beverages to hit shelves was their "Raw Teas" in flavors like Peach and Raspberry. This product line has been marketed most notably with the "Tea Partay" music video and website. It is similar to the brand Twisted Tea.

The newest product from Smirnoff is Smirnoff Source, an ultra-premium beer-alternative created with alcohol and spring water released in May of 2007. It is citrus flavored and lightly carbonated with 3.5% ABV.

A line of fruit flavoured vodkas with the "Twist" moniker appended on the end of the name have also been introduced. Flavors include Green Apple, Orange, Cranberry, Raspberry, Citrus (Lemon), Vanilla, Strawberry, Black Cherry, Watermelon, Lime, and, most recently, Blueberry.

Smirnoff trialed in the UK and Canada during 2004 a new blend of vodka entitled Smirnoff Penka. Marketing and distribution was handled by The Reserve Brands of Diageo plc. As of 2007 Penka continues to be available in the UK [2].

[edit] Numbering

Numbering and additional information such as brewing place and bottling place are available at the bottom of the bottle. Depicted here is the number 63 - Smirnoff Twisted V Green Apple

21 - The Classic Smirnoff Red Label Vodka
21 (Norsk) - The Classic Smirnoff Red Label Vodka Cut With Norwegian Berries
27 - Smirnoff Silver Label Vodka
55 - Smirnoff Black, small batch vodka
57 - Smirnoff Blue Label Vodka
63 - Smirnoff Twisted V Green Apple
64 - Smirnoff Ice Pomegranate Fusion Malt Beverage
66 - Smirnoff Ice Raspberry Burst (USA)
66 - Smirnoff Twisted V Raspberry
67 - Smirnoff Twisted V Mandarin Orange
68 - Smirnoff Twisted V Black cherry
69 - Smirnoff Ice Watermelon Malt Beverage
71 - Smirnoff Ice Malt Beverage ('spin' in South Africa)
72 - Smirnoff Ice Triple Filtered
73 - Smirnoff Black Ice Malt Beverage ('storm' in South Africa)
74 - Smirnoff Ice Triple Filtered
75 - Smirnoff Ice Double Black (Australia & New Zealand)
76 - Smirnoff Ice (Canada)
83 - Smirnoff Ice Wild Grape
85 - Smirnoff Twisted Raspberry (Canada)
103 - Smirnoff Twisted V Arctic Berry
110 - Smirnoff Ice Double Black & Cola

It is a common misconception that Smirnoff Red Label Vodka purchased in plastic containers is of lower quality, this is untrue however and both the varieties purchased in glass and plastic containers are numbered the same, at 21.

[edit] In popular culture

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Smirnoff vodka has been featured in many of the James Bond movies over the last 40 years, beginning with Dr. No, and continuing intermittently through to 2006's Casino Royale. Stolichnaya and Absolut have also made casual appearances and Finlandia vodka was promoted in 2002's Die Another Day. In the original Ian Fleming novels, James Bond actually preferred Polish or Russian vodka, during which time the only brand available in the West would have been Stolichnaya [3]. He is also known to have even drunk Wolfschmidt on one occasion.
In 1966, Smirnoff Vodka hired famed discotheque dance instructor "Killer Joe" Piro to create a new dance called the Mule for their drink of the same name (vodka with a 7-Up mixer) and to release an album of music by Skitch Henderson that included a track with the same name. However, the track didn't include calls to help people dance the mule. Instead, the singers tell you how to fix yourself the drink. Piro and his partner also appear in an advertisement for the drink. ^[2]

[edit] Smirnov

Smirnov (Russian Смирнов) can be seen as the Russian version of Piotr Smirnov's Smirnoff vodka. It is made by the Smirnov Trading House, a company owned as part of a joint venture by Russia's A1 / Alfa Group and Diageo, owner of the Smirnoff Brand.

The full title of the Smirnov Trading House is The Trading House of the Heirs of the P.A. Smirnov.

Smirnov was launched in 1991 by Boris Smirnov, an offspring of the original producer of the spirit, Piotr Smirnov. After many lawsuits with Smirnoff's parent company, which resulted the Diageo brand being banned in the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Russian brand became a sister product to Smirnoff, as well as Johnnie Walker, Captain Morgan and Jose Cuervo in Diageo's portfolio of drinks due to $50 share-offer for 75% of the Russian firm.