Smirnoff was founded by P.A. Smirnov in 1864 in Moscow. It is known for its mild flavours, which result from filtration through active charcoal. A favourite of the Tsar’‘s court, the distillery ran into difficulties in the Communist era. P.A. Smirnov’‘s son Vladmiri joined the White Army and was captured in 1919. After being sentenced to death, he was lucky enough to be freed by the White Army and then emigrated, trying to return to vodka production in Poland, without success, then in France, and finally in the United States. The invention of the Moscow Mule in the 1940s helped propel the brand to success and it has been the highest-selling vodka in the world ever since.

A bottling of Smirnoff from the 1970s imported to Italy by Cinzano, Turin.