Russian liquor removed from local shelves, who is impacted?
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week, North Carolina officials have called for a ban of buying and selling Russian products. This includes an Executive Order signed by Governor Roy Cooper with a series of sanctions that are impacting local liquor sales.
The order stated, “The North Carolina Department of Administration, Division of Purchase & Contract, is directed to undertake an immediate review of all existing state contracts for goods and services to determine whether a Russian Entity is a party to the contract, and to work with Affected State Entities to terminate any such contracts as quickly as practicable if they are identified.”
After the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission was directed to review its list of approved products for any produced by Russian Entities and to suspend the approval of such products as quickly as practicable, the group issued a statement on Monday.
“In accordance with Executive Order 251, the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Commission has suspended the availability of spirituous liquor products in North Carolina which are produced by Russian entities. Russian-produced special-order products are also no longer available,” the statement reads.
“The commission will continue to review the full list of approved products in North Carolina to determine whether additional suspensions should be applied. These suspensions will remain in effect until further notice and the commission will continue to adhere to all state and federal regulations.”
And while the governor’s order it does not directly ban the sale of Russian vodka, local ABC store manager Eric Sparks says Lexington stores have proactively removed Russian brands from their shelves. Sparks says those removed include a select few: Russian Standard Original Vodka, Hammer + Sickle and Beluga. “We only have a few brands actually made in Russia, but it makes sense.”
Eat. Drink. Triad director and restauranter Algenon Cash addressed this issue in a segment of Locked-in. “I think all of us can attest to how disgusting and horrific this assault on Ukrainian citizens is. And so many Americans have been quick to show their support. They’ve been quick to show it by boycotting Smirnoff.” Cash made a point of clarification. While the brand was named after Vladimir Smirnoff. This was made in Made in America. “This bottle was actually made in Illinois. So don’t pour out any more American liquor. We don’t want to cost any more American jobs.”
This is a small effort to impact the Russian economy as the invasion of Ukraine continues. Some are calling it “symbolic” since only 1.2 percent of U.S. vodka imports come from Russia, according to data from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States for the first half of 2021. The impact could be felt heavier by allies of the US. Many top vodka brands, including Smirnoff and Żubrówka, are also entirely produced outside of Russia. In 2020, data shows that Sweden and France were the biggest exporters of vodka. Russia's exports of the libation accounted for just 8.3 percent of the global total.
U.K., Germany and Latvia are the biggest importers of Russian vodka globally, totaling a combined $50.2 million. That number pales in comparison to the €6.8 billion worth of vodka consumed in total by EU citizens in 2020.
Cash told Davidson Local, “I suspect any boycott will not have a significant impact. The more important focus should be on Russian energy, which accounts for 10 percent of the world’s oil and more than a third of Europe’s natural gas. I doubt any country seriously boycotts energy from Russia.”
He told his audience, “Actually, just make yourself a drink and stay ‘Locked-in.’”
Either way, drink responsibly!
