- Businesses and state governors are boycotting vodka in condemnation of Russia's military action.
- But a vast majority of vodka consumed in the US is not produced in Russia.
- Some brands like Smirnoff and Stoli are Russian in name alone, but are the targets of some backlash.
Last week, Drew Podrebarac started removing Russian Standard vodka from the shelves of Southern Spirit Liquor, the store he owns in Indian Land, South Carolina. He replaced it with Kozak, a vodka brand made in Ukraine.
"The reaction was overwhelmingly positive," Podrebarac told Insider. "We've had people who said they've driven 50 miles to buy the Kozak, the Ukrainian vodka, to show a sign of support."
Businesses and state governments throughout the United States are advocating for vodka boycotts in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last week. However, less than 1% of vodka consumed in the United States is actually produced in Russia, CNN reported from IWSR Drinks Market Analysis data, a global firm that tracks alcohol sales: more than half of all vodka consumed in the US is actually made domestically.
Despite that, governors in Ohio, New Hampshire, and Texas asked liquor stores in their states to sweep Russian products from their shelves. Canada's Liquor Control Board of Ontario, which is one of the world's largest alcohol buyers, said that it's removing all products manufactured in Russia from its 679 stores.
For many, the move is simply symbolic.
Stoli and Smirnoff aren't Russian, but Russian Standard is
Podrebarac says he's careful to only get rid of what's certifiably Russian, but other liquor store and bar owners are protesting the invasion by throwing out their stocks of Stoli and Smirnoff, which have ties to Russia only in name.
Stoli originated in Moscow, but it's actually made in Latvia, and the company is based in Luxembourg, a country that has spoken out against Russia's attack and even lent military aid to Ukraine. Smirnoff can be traced back to Russia, but has long been owned by Diageo, a British liquor company, and is manufactured in 12 countries, which includes the US, but not Russia.
Even in the case of a business like Russian Standard, one of the few alcohol brands actually imported from Russia and sold in the United States, Russian-made vodka accounts for only a small percentage of about $7 billion in annual vodka sales, according to the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS), a national trade organization that represents spirits makers.
Paul Isely, an economics professor at Grand Valley State University, told an ABC affiliate television station that external pressure on Russian vodka companies is not likely to hurt the country's economy, let alone influence Russian President Vladimir Putin, but that government sanctions are likely to have a more discernible impact.
But for some people, putting pressure on Russia isn't the point.
Podrebarac said that even if the boycotts stir no change overseas, it's more important to him that the White House pay attention to the response from business owners and consumers and choose to help Ukrainians.
"It's a show of support for the Ukraine people," he said.