By James Atkinson
Russian Standard Vodka has agreed a five-year distribution contract with Suntory Australia, while SPI Group has announced it is looking for a new distributor for the Stolichnaya Vodka brand.
Russian Standard has been distributed under the Beam and Coca-Cola Amatil partnership since launching into the Australian market in 2009.
Under the new deal, Suntory will now distribute the brand and its ready-to-drink (RTD) product Russian Standard Vodka Citrus throughout Australia.
Suntory managing director Ian Atherton said the company is looking forward to capitalising on the success Russian Standard has experienced in Australia since 2009.
"With substantial investment behind the brand over the next five years, we will be building a consumer bar call brand and aiming for the number one premium vodka position in Australia," he said.
The parties will start working together when the previous agreement expires in April.
Also today, SPI Group announced Stolichnaya Premium Vodka will leave Suntory, ending a three-year distribution partnership.
SPI Spirits regional director of Asia Pacific, Frank Cohen, told TheShout the company will announce a new distributor in the coming weeks. He declined to comment further until that time.
An SPI Spirits Group spokesperson said: "We have enjoyed distributing Stolichnaya Premium Vodka to the Australian market through Suntory, having collectively achieved a growth in excess of 80 per cent for the brand over the last three years."
Stolichnaya Vodka's new distributor will take over from April 1.