Back in ancient times, people learned to produce a wide variety of alcoholic drinks. The list of names includes a huge number of species and varieties. They differ mainly in the raw materials from which they were prepared.
List of low-alcohol alcoholic drinks
. Beer- a low-alcohol drink, obtained by fermenting hops, malt wort and brewer's yeast. The alcohol content in it is 3-12%
. Champagne- sparkling wine produced by secondary fermentation. Contains 9-20% alcohol.
. Wine- an alcoholic drink obtained by fermentation of yeast and grape juice of various varieties, the names of which are usually present in the name. Alcohol content - 9-20%.
. Vermouth- fortified wine, flavored with spicy and medicinal plants, the main component is wormwood. Fortified wines contain 16-18% alcohol.
. sake- Japanese traditional alcoholic drink. Obtained by fermentation of rice, rice malt and water. The strength of this drink is 14.5-20% vol.
Spirits
. Tequila. This traditional Mexican product is made from the juice extracted from the heart of the blue agave plant. “Silver” and “Golden” tequila are particularly common alcoholic drinks. The list can be continued with names such as “Sauza”, “Jose Cuervo” or “Sierra”. The best taste qualities A drink aged for 4-5 years is considered. Alcohol content 38-40%.
. Sambuca. A strong Italian liqueur based on alcohol and essential oil obtained from anise. The most in demand are white, black and red sambuca. Strength - 38-42%.
. Liqueurs. Strong sweet alcoholic drinks. The list can be divided into 2 categories: cream liqueurs (20-35%), dessert (25-30%) and strong (35-45%).
. Cognac. A strong alcoholic drink based on cognac alcohol obtained by distilling wine. Distillation takes place in special copper stills, the product is subject to subsequent aging in oak barrels at least two years. After diluting the alcohol with distilled water, it acquires a strength of 42-45%.
. Vodka. Refers to strong drinks with an alcohol content of 35-50%. It is a mixture of water and alcohol, which is made from natural products by fermentation followed by distillation. The most popular drinks: vodka “Absolut”, “Wheat”, “Stolichnaya”.
. Brandy. An alcoholic drink made from fermented grape juice by distillation. The alcohol content in it is 30-50%.
. Gin. Strong alcoholic drink with unique taste, obtained by distilling wheat alcohol and juniper. To enhance the taste it may contain natural supplements: lemon or orange zest, anise, cinnamon, coriander. The strength of gin is 37.5-50%.
. Whiskey. A strong drink that is made by fermentation, distillation and aging of grains (barley, corn, wheat, etc.). Aged in oak barrels. Contains alcohol in an amount of 40-50%.
. Rum. One of the strongest alcoholic drinks. It is made from alcohol aged in barrels for at least 5 years, due to which it acquires a brown color and a pungent taste. Rum strength varies from 40 to 70%.
. Absinthe. Very Reviver with an alcohol content of 70 to 85%. It is based on alcohol, wormwood extract and a set of herbs such as anise, mint, licorice, calamus and some others.
Here are the main alcoholic drinks. This list is not final; it can be continued with other names. However, they will all be derivatives of the main composition.
Types of alcoholic drinks
All drinks in different quantities containing the substance ethanol, also known as alcohol, are called alcoholic beverages. They are mainly divided into three classes:
3. Strong alcoholic drinks.
Bread kvass. Depending on the manufacturing method, it may contain from 0.5 to 1.5% alcohol. It is prepared on the basis of malt (barley or rye), flour, sugar, water, and has a refreshing taste and bready aroma.
Actually beer. It is made from almost the same components as kvass, but with the addition of hops and yeast. Regular beer contains 3.7-4.5% alcohol, but there is also strong beer, where this percentage rises to 7-9 units.
Kumis, ayran, bilk. Drinks based on fermented milk. May contain up to 4.5% alcohol.
Energy alcoholic drinks. They contain tonic substances: caffeine, guarana extract, cocoa alkaloids, etc. The alcohol content in them ranges from 7-8%.
Second category
Natural grape wines. Depending on the sugar content and the type of main raw material, they are divided into dry, semi-dry, sweet and semi-sweet, as well as white and red. The names of the wines also depend on the grape varieties used: Riesling, Rkatsiteli, Isabella and others.
Natural fruit and berry wines. They can be made from various berries and fruits and are also classified according to sugar content and color.
Special varieties
These include Madeira, vermouth, port, sherry, Cahors, Tokay and others. These wines are made using specific methods and in a specific winemaking region. In Hungary, when making Tokaj, they use a “noble” mold, which allows the berries to dry directly on the vine. In Portugal, Madeira is aged in special solariums under the open sun; in Spain, sherry is matured under a film of yeast.
Table, dessert and fortified wines. The first are prepared using natural fermentation technology, the second are very sweet and flavored, and the third are fortified with alcohol to the desired degree. In color they can all be red, pink and white.
Champagne and other sparkling wines. Of these, French is the most popular, but other countries have equally worthy drinks, for example, Portuguese spumante, Spanish cava or Italian Asti. Sparkling wines have a special appearance, delicate aroma, interesting taste. Their main difference from still wines is their playful bubbles. The color of the drinks can be pink and white, but sometimes there are sparkling red wines. Based on sugar content, they are divided into dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet and sweet. The quality of a wine is determined by the number and size of the bubbles, how long they last and, of course, the taste sensation.
These types of alcoholic beverages have a strength of no more than 20% vol.
The third, most extensive category
Vodka. An alcoholic drink made from grains, containing 40% alcohol. Through continuous distillation, a new product was obtained at one time, called Absolut vodka, and its manufacturer, Lare Olsen Smith, was awarded the title of “King of Vodka.” Sometimes this drink is infused with herbs, citrus fruits or nuts. Made using Swedish technology from high-purity alcohol, vodka rightfully occupies one of the first places in the ranking of alcoholic drinks in this category. It is used to prepare various cocktails.
Tinctures bitter. They are obtained by infusing vodka or alcohol with aromatic spices, herbs or roots. The strength is 25-30 degrees, but can rise to 45 degrees, for example, “Pepper”, “Starka” or “Okhotnichya”.
Sweet drinks
Sweet tinctures. They are prepared on the basis of alcohol or vodka, mixing them with fruit drinks and sugar, the content of which can reach 25%, while the alcohol content usually does not exceed 20%. Although some drinks are stronger, for example, the “Excellent” tincture contains 40% alcohol.
Liqueurs. They differ in that they are made from fresh berries or fruits without yeast, but with the addition of strong vodka and large quantity Sahara. These types of alcoholic drinks are very thick and sweet. The name of the liqueurs tells what they are made from: plum, dogwood, strawberry. Although there are strange names: “spotykach”, “casserole”. They contain 20% alcohol and 30-40% sugar.
Liqueurs. Thick, very sweet and strong drinks. They are made by mixing molasses or sugar syrup with alcohol infused with various herbs, spices, with the addition of essential oils and other aromatics. There are dessert liqueurs - with an alcohol content of up to 25%, strong - 45% and fruit and berry liqueurs, with an alcohol content of 50%. Any of these varieties requires aging from 3 months to 2 years. The name of the alcoholic beverages indicates what aromatic additives were used in the preparation of the product: “Vanilla”, “Coffee”, “Raspberry”, “Apricot” and so on.
Strong grape drinks
Cognacs. They are made on the basis of cognac spirits, and alcohols are obtained by fermentation of various grape varieties. One of the first places in the line is occupied by armenian cognac. The most popular is “Ararat”; “Nairi”, “Armenia”, “Yubileiny” are no less famous. Among the French ones, the most popular are “Hennessy”, “Courvoisier”, “Martel”, “Hain”. All cognacs are divided into 3 categories. The first includes ordinary drinks aged for 3 years. The second consists of vintage cognacs, which have a minimum aging period of 6 years. The third includes long-lived drinks, called collection drinks. The shortest aging here is 9 years.
French, Azerbaijani, Russian, Armenian cognac is produced and sold by cognac houses that were founded centuries ago and still dominate the market.
Grappa. Italian vodka based grape marc, aged in oak or cherry barrels from 6 months to 10 years. The value of the drink depends on the aging period, grape variety and location of the vine. Grappa's relatives are Georgian chacha and South Slavic rakia.
Very strong alcoholic drinks
Absinthe- one of them. Its main component is wormwood extract. Essential oils This plant contains the substance thujone, which is the main component of the drink. The more thujone, the better the absinthe. The price directly depends on the percentage of this substance and on the originality of the drink. Along with wormwood, absinthe includes anise, mint, angelica, licorice and other herbs. Whole wormwood leaves are sometimes placed at the bottom of bottles to confirm the naturalness of the product. Absinthe can contain from 10 to 100% thujone. By the way, the drink is available in two varieties - silver and gold. So, “golden” absinthe, the price of which is always quite high (from 2 to 15 thousand rubles per liter), is prohibited in Europe precisely because of the large amount of the substance mentioned above in it, reaching 100%. The usual color of the drink is emerald green, but it can be yellow, red, brown and even transparent.
Rum. It is prepared by fermentation from residual sugar cane products - syrup and molasses. The quantity and quality of the product depends on the variety and type of raw materials. The following types of rum are distinguished by color: Cuban “Havana”, “Varadero” (light or silver); gold or amber; Jamaican "Captain Morgan" (dark or black); Martinican (made only from cane juice). The strength of rum is 40-75 g.
Strong fruit juice drinks
Calvados. One of the varieties of brandy. To prepare the product, 50 varieties of apples are used, and a pear blend is added for uniqueness. Then the fruit juice is fermented and clarified by double distillation and brought to 70 degrees. Aged in oak or chestnut barrels for 2 to 10 years. Then softened water reduces the strength to 40 o.
Gin, balsam, aquavit, armagnac. They are also included in the third category, because they all contain alcohol. All these are strong alcoholic drinks. Their prices depend on the quality of the alcohol (“Lux”, “Extra”), the strength and age of the drink, the brand and the components. Many contain extracts of aromatic herbs and roots.
Homemade drinks
Homemade moonshine is also a prominent representative strong alcoholic drinks. Craftsmen make it from different products: it can be berries, apples, apricots or other fruits, wheat, potatoes, rice, any jam. Sugar and yeast must be added to them. All this is fermented. Then, through distillation, a strong drink with an alcohol content of up to 75% is obtained. For greater product purity, it can be done double distillation. Homemade moonshine is cleared from fusel oils and other impurities by filtration, then (optional) it is either infused with various herbs, nuts, spices, or diluted with fruit drinks, essences, and juices. At proper preparation This drink is not inferior in taste to various vodkas and tinctures.
Finally, I would like to remind you of two simple rules, following which, you will be able to maintain health and not get bored in fun company: do not abuse alcohol and do not waste money on low-quality drinks. And then everything will be fine.
Alcohol products have gained considerable popularity in many countries. The assortment is so huge that your eyes run wide from all this variety. Types of alcoholic drinks are divided into strong, medium and weak (light). They can be completely different: elite (premium class), domestic, dangerous and safe. It is very difficult to create a unified system of alcoholic drinks, but we will try to consider many of the most popular types alcohol.
Alcoholic beverages are products made from ethanol and obtained by fermentation. Alcoholic drinks are produced from raw materials such as:
- Barley, corn, rye, wheat, millet, rice.
- Grapes, apples, plums, pears, pineapples, apricots.
- Potatoes, sugar cane, agave, sweet potatoes.
Also during the manufacturing process various spices, herbs, honey, flavorings, dyes, and so on are added.
True connoisseurs eager to try all the alcoholic drinks in the world. Each country has its own national alcoholic drinks. The main thing to remember: in all states, the consumption of any alcohol is regulated by law and limited to a certain age.
Strong alcohol
The strength of such products varies from 21% and can reach 80% alcohol content. The range of alcoholic drinks is represented by well-known and widespread types of alcoholic beverages.
List of the strongest alcoholic drinks in the world:
Alcoholic drinks with large amounts of ethanol should be consumed only on special holidays and in small doses. They are also the highest in calories.
Medium strength alcohol
Some types of this alcohol are made from or include various fruits or fruit juices, including grapes. And as you know, grapes contain a huge amount of vitamin B, C, P and others useful microelements. Grape juice is used for gastrointestinal diseases, inflammation respiratory tract, asthma, pleurisy.
List of medium strength alcohol:
Less strong species Drinking alcohol not only does not harm health, but is also often used as a preventative against various diseases.
Low alcohol products
And finally, the most harmless alcohol with an alcohol content of no more than 6–8%:
Low alcohol drinks are applied least harm health, and sometimes are not considered at all alcohol products. The variety of alcoholic drinks is not limited to this list. The assortment is so diverse that it is simply impossible to list the types of alcoholic drinks.
In addition to the products described above, there are even lesser known ones, which are used only in certain countries. There are also various types of cocktails obtained by mixing various types alcohol.
Alcohol production is very popular now, so it is possible that the range will continue to grow.
There is a great variety of alcohol in the world - hundreds and thousands of types of beer, whiskey, wines, cognacs and liqueurs, tequila and rum. Each country, and what a country - each of the regions and districts can boast of its own, special recipe unique alcoholic drink. Some recipes are so old that the manufacturing process has been passed down orally for centuries, and the list of ingredients forms the kind of family treasure that people live and die for.
But we will not delve too deeply into numerous brands and recipes; we will focus only on the most significant and popular alcohol brands in the world. The first on our list of bestsellers is Jack Daniel's. This drink began to be produced at the end of the 18th century, in the state of Tennessee (Lynchburg), at the distillery of the same name, founded by Jack Daniels.
Did you know that this production is the oldest in US history, and the first registered whiskey distillery? Mr. Daniels chose the land in Lynchburg for his whiskey for a reason - the purest spring water and other necessary raw materials in large quantities reduced production costs. Initially, whiskey was bottled in glass jugs - the standard container of that time.
But Jack Daniels came up with the idea of labeling each vessel with his name, like a logo. Then, when round bottles became fashionable, whiskey began to be bottled in them, but the logo remained the same. In 1895, whiskey received the unique look that we see today - unusual square containers with the brand name embossed in the glass.
The peculiarity of the taste of Jack Daniels whiskey is that the product is filtered through charcoal American maple. According to experts, this process gives a special aroma to the drink and enriches the already mild taste. The filtration was called the “Lincoln process”, in honor of the city in which whiskey was first bottled.
In 1988, Jack Daniels first tried a new recipe - double filtration of the product: before bottling in oak barrels, and after 4 years of aging, that is, before bottling. Thus, the famous alcoholic drink received an even softer taste and an elegant, incomparable aftertaste.
Baileys liqueur
Baileys is another popular (especially among women) alcohol brand. This is an Irish liqueur containing cream and Irish whiskey. The first production of liqueur dates back to 1974. Baileys is better known as a cream liqueur with a long shelf life, first offered to the consumer. Thanks to the addition of an emulsifier to the drink, whiskey and cream are mixed into a homogeneous liquid and do not separate during storage.
Other known ingredients include chocolate, vanilla, sugar and caramel. Everything that is so loved by the female half of humanity. Preservatives are not added to Baileys liqueur, this is not necessary - content 17% ethyl alcohol It perfectly preserves such a delicate product as cream.
The cream liqueur bottle design was introduced in 2008 - the squat and pot-bellied shape was created by the British agency Bloom. But Diageo, the owner of more than 100 global alcohol brands, including Baileys liqueur, decided to modernize the classic black bottle. Together with hat designer Phillip Treacy, a new project was developed, within the framework of which a limited batch of cream liqueur was released in a new image. The dark purple, luxurious shade of the bottle is decorated with a multicolor pattern.
To support the Baileys rebranding, and as a gift to lovely ladies, the designer created a series of luxurious hair clips, the design of which repeated the decor of the bottle. Thus, the alcoholic drink brand Baileys is aimed at modern women, for whom their favorite liqueur is not ordinary alcohol, but a work of art, designer luxury in everyday life.
What is a martini? A unique brand of alcohol, you say. It’s hard to disagree with this, but Martini is also a unique combination aromatic plants, spices and wine. The taste of the drink, invented by Alessandro Martini and Luigi Rossi (1863), has not changed for many years. However, the history of the appearance of vermouth has several sources, and the information is contradictory. Today, Martini, as a type of alcohol, is widely sold in all stores around the world. The most popular types of vermouth are produced in Italy, at the Martini & Rossi distillery in Turin.
I would like to mention three types of martinis - Rosso, Bianco and Rosato (red, white and pink). Vermouth Rosso is characterized by a reddish hue, slightly bitter taste, but incredibly aromatic. Martini Bianco - favorite women's drink, smelling like vanilla. Rosato is the only vermouth that uses both red and white wine in its production. Its taste clearly reveals cloves.
Martini contains exclusively dry (white or red) wine, and a variety of herbs. The recipe of this famous alcohol brand is a trade secret. One can only guess what is added to vermouth. Wine experts name more than 30 plant species. These are mint, orange, lemon, coriander, chamomile, ash, yarrow, ginger, immortelle, juniper, St. John's wort and many other herbs and fruits. But the main component that gives any type of martini a unique, subtle bitterness is wormwood.
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In 1893, the Italian monarch Umberto I announced the highest permission - to use the image of the royal coat of arms on the martini label. And today the fans of this drink can see this symbol of power, which demonstrates the consistent quality of each bottle. The taste of vermouth so impressed the monarchs of other countries that they granted the status of an official supplier to the royal courts, as well as the right to use the coats of arms of these countries. This favor was granted to the Martini brand by the dynasties of Great Britain, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Austria and Japan.
In 1992, Martini & Rossi merged with the Bacardi family winemaking dynasty. This is how the BACARDI-MARTINI company appeared. And after 5 years, in 1997, the martini bottle changed its shape - for the first time in 134 years! The glass container has become more elegant and modern. Of course, innovations also affected the design of the label, which has not changed since 1920.
The Japanese manufacturer of beer and other drinks Asahi is the leader of the Japanese market. The company's headquarters are located in Tokyo. The company's most popular beer brands in Japan are Asahi Draft, Asahi Super Dry and Asahi Gold. The brewery was founded under the name Osaka Beer Brewing Company in 1889 in Osaka. Beer under the Asahi brand appeared on the Japanese market in 1892 […]
The brewing company SabMiller is one of the world leaders in the industry. SabMiller's headquarters are located in the Belgian city of Leuven. The company produces more than 150 types of beer, including such famous beer brands as Pilsner Urquell, Fosters and Miller, as well as many local beer brands in many countries on all six continents. The history of the company dates back to [...]
Jupiler is one of the most popular beers in Belgium; it produces varieties of light lager with strength from 0.5% to 8.3%, the most common strength being 5.2%. While Belgian beer of various brands is very popular around the world, the Belgians themselves prefer Jupiler - it ranks as the best-selling beer brand countries. The brand is located […]
The Stella Artois brand today belongs to the international company Anheuser-Busch InBev; it produces bottom-fermented light beer with a strength of 4.8 to 5.2%. This brand was first introduced to the market in 1926, produced by the Brouwerij Artois brewery in the Belgian city of Leuven. The brewery itself has deeper roots; the first mentions of it date back […]
The Corona brand belongs to the Mexican company Grupo Modelo, and produces a light lager beer that is popular all over the world. This brewery also produces beer under the brands Modelo, Estrella, Montejo, Pacifico and others. The company today belongs to the Belgian corporation Anheuser-Busch InBev. The purchase transaction was completed in June 2012, when Anheuser-Busch InBev, which previously owned 50% of […]
One of the most popular vodka brands in the world. The history of this brand began back in 1863, with the distillery of P. A. Smirnov. The vodka produced then was called “Smirnov”. The enterprise turned out to be extremely successful and profitable. There is information that this vodka was preferred even at court. Before nationalization after the October Revolution, the plant belonged to the Smirnov family. Subsequently, Vladimir Smirnov […]
15 Mar 2016
Heineken is one of the world's most popular beer brands. It belongs to the company of the same name, which also owns the beer brands Amstel, Affligem, Ochota, Tiger, Star and several dozen others. Heineken's headquarters are located in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The company's founding date is considered to be 1864, when entrepreneur Gerard Adriaan Heineken decided to purchase a brewery and start […]
The history of Budweiser is an interesting and complicated story of the struggle between two companies with the same name. It just so happens that both Czech breweries (Budweiser Budwar) and American breweries (Budweiser Anheuser-Busch) brew beer under this brand. Wars over intellectual property rights are not uncommon in modern world. But this one has been going on for more than a hundred years. Began […]
This brand produces one of the most original liqueurs in the world. Its peculiarity is that it is made from wormwood (“malört” translated from Swedish as “wormwood”), this gives it a very characteristic bitter taste, which not everyone can withstand. The liqueur is produced by the Carl Jeppson Company, located in Chicago. It is named after the Swedish […]
31 Mar 2013
Light rum produced by the French company Moët Hennessy, part of the LVMH holding. It has been produced since 2005 and belongs to the “luxury” category, bearing the proud title of “World's Best Rum” (“The best rum in the world”). Rum 10 Cane is produced on the island of Trinidad, which is the main administrative unit of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Rum there […]
06 Sep 2012
Among New Zealand wine companies, Cloudy Bay stands out especially for the quality of its products. The wine production in the Marlborough region was founded by Kevin Judd and David Hohnen in 1985. This was not the first wine company that the partners organized, but today it is the most famous. The first wines were made from [...]
This American company is one of the largest producers of alcoholic beverages in the world. Owns many well-known alcohol brands, such as Finlandia Vodka, Jack Daniel's, Chambord, Southern Comfort, Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Canadian Mist, Early Times and Old Forester. Brown-Forman has a long history. The company was founded in 1870 by pharmacist George Brown, who […]
Slogan: There's Nothing Like Jack Daniel's Old Time Tennessee Whiskey Jack Daniel's is a popular brand of whiskey that has been produced in America for over a hundred years. This brand belongs to the so-called Tennessee whiskey, which is bottled in Tennessee and is famous for its complex process filtration. Actually, Jack Daniel's is Tennessee whiskey, [...]
The production of vodka based on water from the Ramayaki spring began in 1888. At the beginning it was only a small private production, after which, in 1920, it was bought by the state, which owned it until 2000. For a long time The plant's products remained known only to the residents of Suomi. However, in the second half of the last century, a decision was made to enter […]
Raspberry liqueur Chambord was named after the Chambord castle - the largest in the Loire River valley, one of the most famous architectural monuments of the Renaissance. The story is told that the drink was specially made for King Louis XIV (also known as the Sun King) to please the monarch during one of his visits to the castle. This was back at the end of the 17th [...]
Slogan: Mist. Make Life More Flavor. This brand of Canadian whiskey is practically unknown here, but it is very popular in its homeland and in the neighboring USA. Its popularity is due to the high quality of the drink at a fairly low cost. According to the Proof66 rating, it is one of the best Canadian whiskeys. In 2009, he received a “double gold medal” at the San Francisco World […]
In any decent supermarket your eyes are simply wide open from the variety of different alcoholic drinks. A huge number of brands, varieties and varieties. However, you should not think that each brand is completely independent. No, there are about a dozen large companies that own the vast majority of more or less famous brands.
I want to say right away that in this article I focus on reviewing the market for quite expensive (sometimes they say elite) drinks: premium vodka, cognac, champagne, sparkling wines, whiskey and so on. Small Russian manufacturers Cheap vodka, in my opinion, can be ignored. I'm also not looking at the beer market.
Main players
It is necessary to highlight the following large transnational corporations: Pernod Ricard(France), Bacardi limited(Great Britain), Beam Inc.(USA), Diageo(Great Britain), Gruppo Campari(Italy), Constellation Brands(USA), LVMH(France), Brown-Forman(USA), Remy-Cointreau(France). It is these companies that own most of the world's famous alcohol brands. On Russian market As you know, famous world brands do not occupy such a large share: we do not have the standard of living to regularly buy whiskey and cognac; but still, in almost every store you can find drinks from at least a dozen well-known brands of the above companies: Hennessy, White Horse, Jack Daniel’s, Bacardi, Martini and so on.
Multi-brand strategy
It must be said that the above corporations have extensive portfolios of brands that they cherish and nurture. These brands, as a rule, are not created by the corporations themselves (with the exception of “root”, historical brands - for example, Campari from Gruppo Campari and Bacardi from Bacardi Limited), but are sold and bought. Sometimes there is almost an exchange of brands between companies - of course, with an additional payment from one side or another.
Corporations can also create so-called local trade marks- under them, alcohol is sold only in the territory of a certain country. A classic example is Pernod Ricard's Altai vodka, which is produced in Russia and sold only in Russia.
Sometimes the influence of large transnational corporations on the market (and, accordingly, competition too) is very great: it is interesting that in Ireland there is currently not a single independent whiskey producer. The latest of these, Cooley Distillery, was purchased by Beam Inc. in 2011.
Foreign corporations and alcohol brands of the CIS countries do not ignore them. For example, in 1998 the Pernod Ricard corporation bought the Yerevan Brandy Factory, a producer of cognacs under the ArArAt brand. This, however, was rather for the benefit of the plant itself: it was practically on the verge of bankruptcy. After the purchase of Pernod Ricard, it carried out a major modernization of the plant and increased its capacity. Therefore, it cannot be argued that the practice of such takeovers is exclusively negative.
In addition, one should not think that parent corporations interfere in every detail of the work of their divisions - purchased enterprises. For example, Chivas Regal whiskey is still made using the same old technology, the details of which, except for a very limited group of people, are unknown to anyone - even the very managing director of the owner of the Chivas Regal brand - the same notorious Pernod Ricard. As you can see, brands retain a certain amount of independence.
Moreover, one should not think that, for example, whiskey brands Bell’s, VAT69 and White Horse (owned by Diageo) are bottled from the same barrels and do not differ at all in taste and content. No, drinks of different brands are bottled (in the vast majority of cases) at different factories and, of course, they are prepared using slightly different technologies and from different wine materials.
Interesting case: LVMH
Almost all of the companies mentioned above are engaged only in the production of alcoholic beverages. And only LVMH is an exception. The name of this company stands for Louis Vuitton - Moet Hennessy, and it produces not only (and I would say not so much) elite alcohol ( Hennessy cognac, La Veuve Clicquot champagne, etc.), but also luxury perfumes, clothing, shoes and various accessories. In particular, LVMH owns the brands Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Kenzo, and Givenchy.
In general, the LVMH conglomerate was formed after the merger of two companies - Louis Vuitton and Moet Hennessy. And if the first one dealt mainly with fashion accessories, then the second one was elite alcohol. It must be said that the case of a merger of two such diversified companies is quite rare in the business world.
Small players
Despite the dominance of large corporations, small companies also operate in the alcoholic beverages market - one of the striking examples is the French family cognac house Camus. There are a large number of houses similar to it: all of them are united by the presence of a history, usually half a century or more, and, accordingly, the presence of their own traditions, as well as well-developed technologies.
New brands face intense competition from giant companies; as a result, these days new brands of alcohol are launched only in the lower (less often middle) price segment - the demand for inexpensive alcohol in Russia is huge, and the products of global giants are expensive by Russian standards (high customs duties also contribute to this, for example, 20% on imported wine).
Also, new brands of vodka, including premium ones, are constantly appearing in Russia - this is explained by the fact that the production of vodka itself is much less labor- and capital-intensive than the production of whiskey and cognac; and the demand for vodka - again in Russia - is very high.
That is why we have a large number of producers of vodka of almost all categories, inexpensive vermouth and inexpensive imitators of gin, cognac, and so on. But it is almost impossible for these manufacturers to enter the world market - for obvious reasons.
Table of manufacturers and brands
Now I invite you to familiarize yourself with the table from which you will find out which brands of alcoholic beverages belong to which companies. I am sure that many surprises await you... You can download the table in PDF format (direct link).
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