Russian Vodka Removed from ABC Shelves, Virginia Vodka Steps to Plate
Following the call reported last weekend to pull Russian vodka off the shelves at Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority stores, $77,000 worth of the products have been moved to storage, according to reporter Graham Moomaw at Virginia Mercury.
Moomaw wrote, “The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority says the $77,000 worth of Russian-sourced vodka it pulled from shelves won’t be thrown out but will be stored at its facilities ‘until further notice.’ ”
As Russia pushed into Ukraine last week, bombing cities and killing Ukrainians, the world landed solidly on the side of Ukraine and, in a desire to withdraw any support for Russia, a call came from multiple areas to pull Russian liquor from the state-run stores. Action was swift; Gov. Glenn Youngkin called for a review of inventory, and soon thereafter it was pulled from shelves.
Products identified by ABC stores as Russian-sourced included Beluga, Hammer & Sickle, Imperia, Mamont, Organika, Russian Standard, and ZYR. They will now be warehoused.
This isn’t the first time Virginia ABC has pulled liquor from its shelves for a political statement, according to reporter Ali Sullivan at The Virginian Pilot, who wrote, “Stolichnaya, or ‘Stoli,’ was pulled from Virginia ABC shelves at least two times in the 1980s amid the Cold War. It was the only Russian-imported product carried in state liquor stores at the time, The Virginian-Pilot reported in 1983. The vodka was quietly returned to ABC shelves once tensions thawed.”
Not to worry, however. Until Russian vodka is restocked, Silverback Distillery in Nelson County has Virginia vodka and, who knows, you may not need to go back to the Russian variety.
Background:
–Virginia ABC puts $77K worth of Russian vodka into storage – Virginia Mercury
–Virginia distillery prepares for more vodka bottle sales (whsv.com)
–Va.’s growing craft distillery industry pushes against regulatory roadblocks – The Washington Post
