Smirnoff Vodka....My fav!!!!

Smirnoff Vodka, originally uploaded by chatter.nik.

Overview
Smirnoff is a brand of vodka now owned and produced by the British company Diageo. The Smirnoff brand began with a vodka distillery founded in Moscow by Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov (1831-1898), the son of illiterate Russian peasants. It is now distributed in 130 countries.

Smirnoff products include vodka, flavored vodka, and malt beverages. In March 2006, Diageo North America claimed that Smirnoff vodka was the best-selling distilled spirit brand in the world.

SMIRNOFF NUMBERS
Each Smirnoff product has a unique identifying number that is displayed on its label. Some of these numbers are:

* 21 - Smirnoff North (previously Smirnoff Norsk). The classic Smirnoff Red Label vodka flavored with Nordic Berries. In some markets, including the United Kingdom, it is called Smirnoff Nordic Berries.

* 21 - Smirnoff Classic Mix. Smirnoff No. 21 vodka premixed with either lime soda or cola in a 70-cl bottle.

* 21 - Smirnoff Vodka and Cranberry Juice. Smirnoff No. 21 vodka premixed with Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice in a 250-ml can.

* 27 - Smirnoff Silver Label Vodka, 45.2% ABV

* 55 - Smirnoff Black, 40% ABV. A small-batch vodka that is produced in copper stills.

* 57 - Smirnoff Blue Label Vodka, 50% ABV

* 63 - Smirnoff Twisted V Green Apple

* 64 - Smirnoff Ice Pomegranate malt beverage, 5.5% ABV

* 66 - Smirnoff Ice Raspberry Burst malt beverage, 5% ABV

* 66 - Smirnoff Twisted V Raspberry malt beverage

* 67 - Smirnoff Twisted V Mandarin Orange malt beverage

* 68 - Smirnoff Twisted V Black Cherry malt beverage

* 69 – Smirnoff Twisted V Watermelon malt beverage

* 70 - Smirnoff Ice Watermelon malt beverage

* 71 - Smirnoff Ice Triple Filtered malt beverage, 5% ABV

* 72 - Smirnoff Ice, 5% ABV. In the United States, it is a malt beverage; elsewhere it is vodka-based. Labeled as “Spin” in South Africa.

* 73 - Smirnoff Black Ice, 5% ABV. In the United States it is a malt beverage; elsewhere it is vodka-based. Labeled as “Storm” in South Africa.

* 74 - Smirnoff Ice Triple Black

* 75 - Smirnoff Ice Double Black. Sold in Australia and New Zealand.

* 76 - Smirnoff Ice. Sold in Canada. 7% ABV

* 83 - Smirnoff Ice Wild Grape malt beverage, 5% ABV

* 84 - Smirnoff Twist Arctic Berry

* 85 - Smirnoff Twisted Raspberry. Sold in Canada.

* 103 - Smirnoff Twisted V Arctic Berry

* 110 - Smirnoff Ice Double Black & Cola

* 111 - Smirnoff Ice Double Black. Sold in Australia.

History
Pyotr Smirnov founded his vodka distillery in Moscow in the 1860s under the trading name of PA Smirnoff, pioneering charcoal filtration in the 1870s, and becoming the first to utilize newspaper ads along with charitable contributions to the clergy to stifle anti-vodka sermons, capturing two-thirds of the Moscow market by 1886. His brand was reportedly the tsar's favorite. When he died, he was succeeded by his third son Vladimir Smirnov (? - 1939). The company flourished and produced more than 4 million cases of vodka per year.

During the October Revolution, the distillery was confiscated and the family had to flee. Vladimir Smirnov re-established the factory in 1920 in Istanbul. Four years later he moved to Lwów (formerly Poland, now Lviv, Ukraine) and started to sell the vodka under the contemporary French spelling of the name, "Smirnoff". The new product was a success and by the end of 1930 it was exported to most European countries. An additional distillery was founded in Paris in 1925.

In the 1930s Vladimir met Rudolph Kunett, a Russian who had emigrated to America in 1920. The Kunett family had been a supplier of spirits to Smirnoff in Moscow before the Revolution. In 1933 Vladimir sold Kunett the right to begin producing Smirnoff vodka in North America. However, the business in America was not as successful as Kunett had hoped. In 1938 Kunett couldn't afford to pay for the necessary sales licenses, and contacted John Martin, president of Heublein, who agreed to buy the rights to Smirnoff.

Since the 1990s
During the 1990s one of Piotr Smirnov's descendants started producing Smirnov (Смирновъ in Ukraine) vodka in Ukraine, claiming to be "The Only Real Smirnov". After a number of lawsuits, Smirnoff successfully claimed back the trademark, whilst in 2006 Diageo tied up a joint venture deal with the Смирновъ company.

The Smirnoff company has the naming rights to the Smirnoff Music Centre, a concert amphitheater in Dallas, Texas. They also sponsor the Smirnoff Underbelly, a major venue at the Edinburgh Fringe.

In the late 1990s, Smirnoff introduced a series of new products onto the UK and later the European and North American market, which quickly became popular among young people, especially within the club scene (See "Alcopops").

There are two different products by the name of Smirnoff Ice. One, sold in France and the United States, is a citrus-flavored malt beverage (5.5% ABV) with variants in 'Original,' and 'Triple Black.' The other, sold in Europe (excluding France), Latin America, Australia and Canada, is a premixed vodka drink. It also has variants in 'Original' and 'Black Ice' (or in some markets, 'Triple Black' or 'Double Black'), ranging from 5% to 6% ABV in different markets.

A common question that Smirnoff drinkers have around the globe is "Does Smirnoff Ice have Vodka" . As per the official Smirnoff website FAQs, the one word answer for customers in the USA is "No". The beverage called Smirnoff Ice is likened more to beer than to other alcoholic beverages, primarily because it is brewed, the difference being the Malt and citrus content. However there are exceptions to the rule and it does contain Smirnoff Vodka no 21 outside the USA and countries supplied by the USA.

Smirnoff Ice Twisted was a spin-off of the American Smirnoff Ice that featured flavors such as Mandarin Orange and Green Apple. Confusion in branding between Smirnoff Twist Vodka and Smirnoff Twisted Malt Beverage resulted in the decision to drop the "Twisted" from the flavored line of Smirnoff Ice. Current flavors include Watermelon, Wild Grape, Pomegranate Fusion, Arctic Berry (Blueberry), Green Apple Bite and Raspberry Burst.

The next line of Smirnoff's malt beverages to hit shelves was their "Raw Teas" in flavors like Peach and Raspberry. This product line has been marketed most notably with the "Tea Partay" music video and website. It is similar to the brand Twisted Tea.

The newest product from Smirnoff is Smirnoff Source, a beer-alternative created with alcohol and spring water released in May 2007. It is citrus flavored and lightly carbonated with 3.5% ABV.

A line of fruit flavored vodkas with the "Twist" moniker appended on the end of the name have also been introduced. Flavors include Green Apple, Orange, Cranberry, Raspberry, Citrus (Lemon), Vanilla, Strawberry, Black Cherry, Watermelon, Lime, and, most recently, Blueberry.

Smirnoff trialed in the UK and Canada during 2004 a new blend of vodka entitled Smirnoff Penka. Marketing and distribution was handled by The Reserve Brands of Diageo plc. As of 2007[update] Penka continues to be available in the UK.

In a 2005 New York Times blind tasting of 21 world-class vodkas, Smirnoff won as the "hands-down favorite" .

SMIRNOFF vodka
Smirnov (in Russian, Смирнов) can be seen as the Russian version of Smirnoff vodka. It is made by the Smirnov Trading House, a company that is part of a joint venture by Russia’s Alfa Group and Diageo, the owner of the Smirnoff brand. The full title of the Smirnov Trading House is The Trading House of the Heirs of P.A. Smirnov.

Smirnov vodka was launched in 1991 by Boris Smirnov, an offspring of Pyotr Smirnov, the original producer of the spirit. After many lawsuits, which resulted in Diageo’s brand being banned in the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Russian brand became a “sister product” of Smirnoff vodka.