Stolichnaya vodka has released a new line based on a gluten-free recipe.
Stoli Gluten Free, made with 88% corn and 12% buckwheat, will be presented to duty free buyers at the upcoming IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas by Chase International (Booth: 1111).
Its rollout in US duty free will follow a nationwide launch in April.
Stoli Gluten Free is said to continue the brand’s commitment to “innovation and pioneering heritage”. According to Stoli, it marks the first time a global vodka brand has been created using a new gluten-free recipe to meet the needs of gluten-free consumers.
Stoli Group USA President and CEO Patrick Piana commented: “Innovating within the vodka category has remained an integral part of Stoli’s DNA for 80 years and counting. As with all of our innovations, we conduct consumer research and discuss with our trade partners to identify unmet consumer needs in the marketplace.”
Piana believes Stoli Gluten Free will “resonate with younger legal drinking age consumers who have an active lifestyle and greater focus on the products they consume”. He described feedback from distributors as “very positive”.
“We believe that Stoli Gluten Free is an incredible opportunity for Stoli and that it will help us continue to grow our market share,” Piana added.
Stoli said its new line meets the US government’s Alcohol, Tobacco and Trade Tax Bureau (TTB) standard for gluten-free labelling. Its packaging maintains Stoli’s bottle design, and its label includes a batch number and the signature of Latvijas Balzams Production Director Ronalds Zarinovs, overseer of all Stolichnaya vodka products.
Stoli Gluten Free is made with naturally gluten-free corn and buckwheat harvested from the Tambov region of Russia. Its ingredients are distilled three times at the Talvis distillery, and filtered four times, through quartz sand and birchwood charcoal, before being blended with natural spring water from the Latvijas Balzams’ artesian well in Riga, Latvia, the brand stated.
“In developing Stoli Gluten Free, we wanted to create a product that not only delivered on a consumer need, but also achieved Stoli’s incredibly high standards of quality and taste,” said Stoli Group USA Senior Vice President of Innovation & Trade Marketing Michael Oringer.
“We experimented with a variety of gluten-free ingredients before finalising on a unique mash of corn and buckwheat. The result is delicious, old-world style tasting vodka that meets the needs of our consumers who live a gluten-free lifestyle.”
Stoli Group Regional Director Duty Free North and Central America Dayna Dennington commented: “We are excited to launch Stoli Gluten Free in US duty free where we see true potential for this innovative product that speaks not only to those suffering from gluten allergies but also those choosing to live a gluten-free lifestyle as well as those interested in exploring within the Stoli range of products. We look forward to working with our US duty free partners across all channels to introduce Stoli Gluten Free in the coming months.”
Stoli Gluten Free will be available in 50ml, 750ml and 1-litre bottles.
