Stolichnaya vodka rebrands to Stoli, in response to Russian invasion of Ukraine

Bottles of Stolichnaya vodka on a shelf.

(Image credit: AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

published 8 March 2022

Say goodbye to Stolichnaya and hello to Stoli.

The Stoli Group announced that "in direct response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine," it is rebranding its Stolichnaya vodka, which has long been marketed as a Russian liquor. Now, the spirit will be sold as Stoli.

Yuri Shefler, founder of the Stoli Group, said in a statement that he has been exiled from Russia since 2000 because of his opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I have remained proud of the Stolichnaya brand," Shefler stated, but is changing the name because of his "vehement position on the Putin regime; the Stoli employees determination to take action; and the desire to accurately represent Stoli's roots in Latvia." The vodka has been manufactured and bottled in Latvia for several years.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, there have been calls to boycott Russian products, and some bars in the United States have said they won't serve Russian liquor, going so far to pour vodka out in the street in protest. Stoli Group said it will work with Slovakian sources to ensure Stoli is "100 percent non-Russian alpha grade spirit," Fox News reports, and continue to donate money to World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit serving hot meals to Ukrainian refugees.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox