June 11, 2007 -- After being in the U.S. marketplace for only eight months, The Silk Vodka has captured the attention of bar owners, beguiled spirits lovers and made an impressive showing in the alcoholic beverage business as it rolls out to full national distribution in June.
The vodka newcomer from Russia, conveying seductive and alluring imagery in its marketing, has been identified as one of the world’s top up-and-coming vodka brands (Impact, Feb. 2006) from powerhouse vodka producer Soyuz Victan, the world’s third-largest vodka supplier and marketer of the fastest-growing spirits brand.
With vodka sales growing 10 percent faster than the spirits category as a whole and comprising 28 percent of total spirits sales, consumers evidently have a yearning for the spirit.
“This is a brand that already has a proven track record, with combined sales in Russia and Ukraine that represent more than half the world’s vodka sales, so it is certainly an extraordinary case history to follow. Although The Silk Vodka has been available in the United States for only eight months, it is being embraced here like the parent company’s (Soyuz Victan) eponymous vodka brand, which the Wall Street Journal has recently reported has grown to be the third most popular vodka in Russia…in only four years,” according to Mark McKethan, president and general director, Soyuz Victan USA.
“In the United States we have already had tremendous success establishing distribution in the markets where the super premium vodka business is concentrated, primarily along the Atlantic seaboard, from Massachusetts to Florida, with other key markets spread throughout the country,” McKethan continued. “We are available in a variety of types of accounts with a focus on high-end, stylish and chic lounges and bars – the kind of places that really make a difference in reaching consumers with a new brand.”
McKethan continued, “What is defining us and setting us apart from the competition this early out of the gate is the remarkable work being done by a small organization of people. This group of 8 in management and 17 full time market managers has a tremendous amount of commitment to its work and an extremely high expectation of success.”
The tools in The Silk Vodka sales and marketing arsenal are not complicated according to McKethan, but the follow through on the sales/marketing model is providing the dividends to the brand’s early success: 1) The Silk Vodka is a super premium product, distilled five times and filtered 14 times; 2) Consumers like the product and the stylish bottle; 3) The Silk Vodka is being hand-sold to key accounts by a team of market managers who train and educate bar staffs; 4) The brand has invested in quality promotional materials and a strategic media plan; 5) The Silk Vodka is a product of a significant company that is investing in a long-term plan and is committed to delivering on its promises.
This summer The Silk Vodka consumers can log onto www.silkvodka.com to learn more about events in their area in support of the brand launch and can learn when SV-TV will be in their market, an opportunity for patrons of select nightclubs to appear on segments of SV-TV, found on www.silkvodka.com, to deliver their ‘smoothest’ line for web audiences worldwide.
The Silk Vodka is available nationally and on-line at www.Samswine.com, where legal. The Silk Vodka retails for $29.99 for a 750ml bottle. For The Silk Vodka drink recipes visit: www.silkvodka.com.
About The Silk Vodka: The Silk Vodka’s unique quality comes from pristine water drawn from 400-feet deep Artesian wells; a blend of the finest rye, wheat and barley from the rich and fertile Russian Steppes; and a five-time distillation of its Luxe grade spirits. But it is the extraordinary 14-step filtration process through natural mountain crystals that results in The Silk Vodka’s unmatched smoothness and purity. About Soyuz Victan Company: Note to Editors:
There are four components that determine vodka quality: water, ingredients, distillation and filtration.
The Soyuz Victan Company, the world's third-largest vodka supplier and fastest-growing spirits marketer, was founded in 1994. The company markets over 50 brands of alcoholic beverages, including three leading Russian vodka brands, SV, Medoff, and Mernaya, Koktebel wines, and brandies, ready-to-drink cocktails, and bottled waters. Soyuz Victan products are available in more than 30 countries worldwide. Principal production facilities are located in Moscow, Russia, and in Kiev and Simferopol, Ukraine. SV Silk vodka is imported into the U.S. by Soyuz Victan USA, Manhasset, NY. www.sv-usa.com
To download hi-resolution product photos or drink shots, visit www.silkvodka.com and go to the Press page.
