The Russian Patent Office has said that vodka can only be labelled as Russian Vodka if it has been distilled and bottled in Russia and meets taste criteria.
Interestingly, the ruling was handed down by the Patents Office after a petition by the state-owned company, FKP Soyuzplodoimport, which is engaged in a dispute with vodka producer, SPI, over ownership of the Stolichnaya brand.
How the new regulations might affect SPI’s Stolichnaya business is unclear. At present, SPI is marketing Stolichnaya which has been coming from its distillery in Latvia.
In the coming years, the new regulations could lead to Russian authorities challenging products worldwide which it believes are marketed as Russian Vodka but which have not been produced in the country.
