Some US states discontinue Russian liquor
A few states of the US would halt selling and serving liquor with Russian associations.
US states discontinue Russian liquor sales as a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine amidst Ukrainian crisis. Russia is besieging Ukraine after Russian president declares military operations in Ukraine.
As per the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Russian vodka doesn’t constitute a large part of US’s import and consumption. For instance, Russian vodka constitutes only 1.2% of US vodka in 2021.
Moreover, vodka worth only $18.5 million is Russian while the net value of vodka import by US is $1.4 billion in 2021.
Thus, the halt on import will not have any significant impact.
Which US states discontinue Russian Liquor:
On Sunday, the governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, orders state run liquor retail stores to stop selling Russia vodka and spirits which either possess Russian brand name or their production situates to Russia.
Additionally, the move from Utah’s governor comes after a couple of other states in the US. The governors of New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania are already putting a stop to it’s sale. It is seen as a symbol of solidarity with Ukraine.
History and current status of many Russian liquor brands
Firstly, the production of many Russian style vodkas is in countries other than Russia, even in the US. For e.g., Smirnoff and Stolichnaya.
Moreover, ever since USSR collapse, the ownership of Stolichnaya is a matter of contention. The dispute of ownership is between the state of Russia and the Stoli groups. However, the vodka selling in the US is under Stoli group’s production. The Stoli group says that it supports Ukraine and stands with it.
