The vodka known as Russian will now be marketed and marketed simply as Stoli, the company said in a statement.
Stoli Group founder, Russian-born billionaire Yuri Shefler, was expelled from that country in 2000 because of his opposition to Putin. This liqueur was sold as Russian vodka for a long time, but since that year its production has been located in Latvia. The Stoli Group is a division of the SPI Group based in Luxembourg.
The company also cited the desire of its employees to act and accurately represent the Latvian roots of vodka.
Earlier this week, Stoli Group announced that it would only use Slovak sources to ensure that none of its ingredients come from Russia.
Officials in states from Ohio to New Hampshire have urged liquor stores to remove Russian-made or Russian-branded products from their shelves, which in most cases means vodka. Some bar owners even threw away Stoli vodka in protest. However, these boycotts and protests are unlikely to have much of an impact. According to the Spirits Council (DISCUS), the national trade organization representing the interests of spirits producers, Russian-made vodka accounts for a very small percentage of about $7 billion in annual vodka sales.
In the US, less than 1% of vodka consumed is produced in Russia. More than half of all vodka consumed domestically is actually produced in USA, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, a global firm that tracks alcohol sales.