The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Richard Thomas
According to the Russian news channel RBC, Russia has legalized and established standards for whiskey and moonshine.
Prior to taking this step, these grain-based spirits were effectively illegal, and had to be either imported or made illicitly. The sole exception was the brand Praskoveyskoe, which was granted a technical exception by the Russian Agricultural Ministry.
This move comes after the announcement in June by a Russian liquor company that it would introduce a cheap whiskey to undercut foreign competition.
The interest in creating a Russian whiskey industry has possibly been spurred by the fallout of the Ukraine conflict and low energy prices, which combined to drive the Russian ruble to record lows, making whiskey imports more expensive. Also, the conflict started a tit-for-tat trade feud with the West, leading to the banning of several American whiskey brands.
