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William Grant & Sons UK is to bring Russian Standard Vodka into its premium spirits portfolio from 1 January 2016.
Russian Standard is part of Roust International, which represents the William Grant & Sons UK portfolio in Poland and Central Europe. In the UK William Grant & Sons UK has represented Roust’s Green Mark and Żubrówka for over two years.
This agreement is a continuation of the international alliance between two of the world’s leading spirits businesses. Rémy Cointreau remains the international distributor of Russian Standard in global travel retail.
Russian Standard is the number one premium vodka in Russia and has grown to be a one million 9L case brand in the UK, with a 12% share of the vodka market since its UK launch in 2007.
William Grant & Sons Managing Director UK Chris Mason said: “Roust is one of the world’s leading vodka producers and we look forward to continuing a successful partnership to achieve our ambitious goals.
“Russian Standard is an excellent fit within our existing premium portfolio, complementing our current brands.
“This partnership will ensure that William Grant & Sons UK has the strongest vodka portfolio offering with authentic brands that are differentiated within the category, including Russian Standard Vodka, Green Mark and Żubrówka.”
Vodka is the largest spirits category in the UK, where there are 12.2 million vodka drinkers and one in three sprits bought in the On or Off trade is vodka.
Roust Chairman & Owner Roustam Tariko commented: “Roust is delighted to consolidate our vodka portfolio in the UK with William Grant & Sons UK. We look forward to the continued rapid growth of Russian Standard vodka and our wider vodka portfolio here in the UK under the stewardship of the William Grants & Sons UK team.
“We believe our powerful brands in conjunction with William Grants own strong portfolio of brands will deliver accelerated volume and market share growth in the UK.”
