Today’s SMIRNOFF® brand traces its origins to the distillery established by Piotr Arseneevich Smirnoff (known as PA) in 1864 where he produced his own brand of vodka. His distillery won the Russian state’s Seal of Approval honors four times and, in 1886, the Tsar declared PA a “Purveyor to the Imperial Court.†Following the Bolshevik Revolution, PA's third son, Vladimir, fled Russia after escaping a firing squad several times. Vladimir arrived in Poland and founded “Pierre Smirnoff Sons†in 1923, seeking to revive his family’s brand. Two years later, he moved his company to Paris. SMIRNOFF® brand vodka was first made in America in 1934, shortly after the repeal of Prohibition. It was marketed as “white whiskey,†as Americans were mostly whiskey drinkers. The exceptional mixability of SMIRNOFF® was soon discovered, inspiring the U.S. cocktail revolution. Today, SMIRNOFF® No. 21 Vodka is the #1 premium vodka brand in the world, sold in over 130 countries and still m
