Russian Standard Vodka
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| Type | Vodka |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Russian Standard |
| Country of origin | Russia |
| Introduced | 1998 by Roustam Tariko |
| Alcohol by volume | 40% |
| Proof (US) | 80 |
| Related products | List of vodkas |
| Website | www |
Russian Standard (Russian: Русский Стандарт, Russkij Standart) Vodka is a major Russian premium vodka brand. The brand was founded by Roustam Tariko in 1998.
The brand was introduced as the "Russian Standard" vodka in 1998 by the Russian Standard company of Roustam Tariko. The Russian Standard, later called Original, vodka established the brand as one of the top premium vodka brands in the Russian market. Its new Russian, Soviet-free identity, turned (unusually for a premium beverage) an advantage in the rapidly developing market of the 1990s Russia.
Two years after a successful Russian market launch, international expansion was started. This was accompanied by the launch of Russian Standard Platinum product in 2001 and the luxury brand Imperia in 2004. The original product was re-christened Original.
In 2006, a new distillery with 4 million cases/yr capacity was opened in Saint Petersburg.
According to the manufacturer, in 2001 the brand was active worldwide in 80+ markets with sales over 2 million cases/yr. Marketing emphasizes the 100% Russian mantra – being produced by a Russian recipe, from only Russian raw materials, distilled and bottled in Russia.
Russian Standard aroused controversy when it questioned the Russianness of its chief international rival Stolichnaya. At that time, Stolichnaya was distilled in Russia but bottled in Latvia. Stolichnaya distributor, Pernod Ricard, responded by insisting that Stolichnaya is an authentic Russian vodka, as nothing is added or removed during the bottling.
In a 2006 overview of Russian premium vodkas for Vanity Fair, the "Imperia" product stood alone with a top A+ grade.
Production of the Russian Standard Original is based on a four-tier protocol:
Higher-end products add more purification steps.
Winter grain from Russian steppes are milled and fermented. The raw spirit is distilled four times for the Original and Platinum variants while the Imperia spirit is distilled eight times.
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Wikipedia