By James Atkinson
The Stolichnaya Premium vodka portfolio is set to be distributed by island2island Beverage Company under a five-year deal confirmed exclusively to TheShout this week.
Formerly distributed by Suntory, the Stolichnaya portfolio includes Stolichnaya Premium vodka, Stolichnaya Flavoured Premium vodkas, Stolichnaya Gold, and the ultra-luxury elit variant.
island2island CEO Allan Shearer told TheShout the vodka deal comes on the back of a lot of hard work the company has been doing with the Angostura brand for the last few years.
"It's nice recognition and reinforcement that the approach we've taken to the market is the right one," he said.
"Angostura Bitters is such an iconic brand in this marketplace, and we see Stoli the same way. It's such a pleasure to have a relationship with a brand that brings the heritage and credentials that it brings."
Shearer acknowledged that the vodka market is "crowded and competitive" in Australia but said the Stoli brand has the right attributes to achieve cut-through.
L-R: island2island managing director Les Page, CEO Allan Shearer and Frank Cohen, SPI Group Regional Director Asia Pacific
"The ideal brands in Australia are firstly those that have an international footprint, which Stoli does," he said.
"What you look for is a brand that has its own heritage, it has its own story which clearly differentiates it from other brands, and we believe Stoli has that in spades."
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Stolichnaya brand owner SPI Group was attracted to the "passion and focus" of the island2island team, according to SPI Group CEO Val Mendeleev.
"Innovation, a new global campaign and engaging digital programs will reinforce further Stoli's strong position in the market," he said.