Stolichnaya Vodka rebrands as 'Stoli,' trying to distance itself from Putin

https://www.npr.org/2022/03/07/ [login to see] /stolichnaya-vodka-stoli-ukraine-russia
As people around the world move to boycott Russian products, one of the most iconic vodka brands will change its name.

The company that owns Stolichnaya vodka announced that it is officially adopting the drink's unofficial nickname and will now brand the vodka as Stoli.

The Stoli Group said the rebranding effort is in "direct response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine."

"The three driving factors behind the decision are the founder's vehement position on the Putin regime; the Stoli employees determination to take action; and the desire to accurately represent Stoli's roots in Latvia," the company said in a statement.

Stolichnaya started out as a Russian brand in the former Soviet Union, though there is even some disagreement about when exactly it started. But in recent years, the vodka has been produced in Latvia by the Luxembourg-based Stoli Group. That company was founded by the exiled Russian-born billionaire Yuri Shefler, a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin who fled Russia in 2002.