September 07, 2024
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Boycott not necessary: Russian liquor uncommon in Illinois Valley

Most proprietors say they have American, Polish brands already

By Michael Urbanec
Hy-Vee in Peru put up signs to customers it will remove Russian vodka from its shelves, but most vodka brands in the Illinois Valley are not made in Russia.

Hy-Vee in Peru put up signs to customers it will remove Russian vodka from its shelves, but most vodka brands in the Illinois Valley are not made in Russia. (Derek Barichello - dbarichello@shawmedia.com)

Anyone looking to take the extra steps to avoid supporting anything Russian after its invasion of Ukraine might have already checked off the first item without realizing it.

Most of the vodka sold at liquor stores around the Illinois Valley is either American-made or Polish-made, proprietors said.

Streator Liquors doesn’t carry Russian vodka and an employee said her customers typically prefer Polish or American vodka. Polish brands include Sobieski on the bargain side and Chopin on the higher end, and American brands are the most common ones. Those include Skol, McCormick and Skyy vodka.

Boycotts of vodka brands are based off confusion: Smirnoff sounds like a Russian name and its creator Piotr Arseneevich Smirnov, was Russian, but the brand eventually made its way to France after the Bolshevik Revolution. While being founded in Moscow, what Americans know as Smirnoff Vodka is distilled in Plainfield and its Smirnoff Ice product is bottled in glass from Owens-Illinois in Streator.

Another brand thought to be Russian is Stoli, which is actually made in Latvia, a former Soviet nation like Ukraine. Stoli has issued a statement via its website it stands in support of Ukraine. Stoli also has a long-standing corporate stance of being pro-LGBTQ.

Other popular vodka brands such as Grey Goose and Ciroc are made in France, and Ketel One is made in the Netherlands.

For anyone who wants their alcohol consumption to support Ukrainian-owned businesses, Kozak is the most common brand and another common brand is Khor.

While Illinois hasn’t passed anything that would limit the sale of Russian products, there are some state agencies across the country that have, like the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority and New Hampshire’s Governor Chris Sununu both banning the sale of Russian spirits.

Russian Standard, which has become slim in supply during the pandemic, is one of the few vodkas stocked on Illinois shelves from Russia.

According to the International Wine and Spirits Record, which tracks alcohol sales, less than 1% of vodka “consumed in the United States is produced in Russia.”