US governors, bar owners ditching Russian spirits

US governors and individual bar owners are working to pull out Russian vodka from store shelves after Vladimir Putin launched a globally-condemned attack on Ukraine last week.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott had asked the members of the Texas Restaurant Association, Texas Package Stores Association, and all Texas retailers to voluntarily remove all Russian products from their shelves, emphasizing that Texas stands with Ukraine.

Other governors who have taken a stand against Russian spirits include those from New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Utah.

Some citizens have made similar shows of support for Ukraine.

Evel Pie, a pizzeria in Las Vegas, made headlines by switching to a Ukrainian-owned vodka after removing all of its Russian Standard spirits. Bill McCormick, the owner of the Pine Tavern in Bend, Oregon, was also prepared for the news as he dumped out bottles of Stolichnaya.

The overall impact may be relatively small. In Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine's prohibition of Russian vodka resulted in the removal of just 6,400 bottles of Russian Standard.

According to Lisa Hawkins, senior vice president of public affairs for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Russia controls a mere 1.3 percent of vodka imports into the US with a total value of about $18 million, ranking it sixth among exporting nations.

The fourth-largest exporter, with a value of $137 million, is Latvia, which exports the aforementioned Stolichnaya.

The Latvian-produced drink has a Luxembourg-based ownership group, despite its Russian roots.

Smirnoff, which was founded in Russia, is now owned by the beverage giant Diageo and is produced all around the world, including in Illinois. "Some of the most well-known vodka brands available may be labeled Russian when they are not," according to Hawkins.