Since privatization, the number of Russian alcohol brands, not just vodka, has skyrocketed. For example:
Baltika beer. Baltika manufactures a broad range of beer brands. Apart from its eponymous brand, the company produces including beer under the Arsenalnoe, Nevskoe, Yarpivo, Tuborg, Carlsberg, and Kronenbourg names, as well as 11 other beverages. They make a non-alcohol beer, lite beer, wheat beer, malt liquor, pale ale and dark beer.
They also produce outside of Russia.
Tinkoff beer. Bought by InBev (that owns Budweiser).
Probably the best of the vodka brands:
Zyr
Russian Diamond
Cristall (best known for its champagne)
Ivan the Terrible
Ruskova
Imperia
Russian Shot
Czar’s Gold
Ikon
RU Classic
Dmitri Ivanabitch (really)
Kalashnikov
Diplomat
Russian Standard
Moskovskaya
Mstinskaya
Kauffman Luxury
Stolichnaya (which has dozens of subtypes)
There are also many that are so freaking expensive, premium vodkas, that you will likely never see them sold as retail in the US.
Shampanskoye (champagne) and konyak (Cognac) are now changing their names to “sparkling wine” and “brandy”, to be polite to the French. By Putin’s order. They are very, very popular in Russia.
Thanks for the tips. I’ll get some, I think, Friday or Saturday. :)