(May 29, 2009) — San Diego is the first city in Southern California to receive the “Taste of Russia®.” Newly introduced in America, St. Petersburg™ Vodka hails from the cultural capital of Russia, home to great writers, artists and scientists. With a formula that dates back to the 18th century, this award-winning vodka has survived the tests of time and tastes. St. Petersburg™ Vodka is ultra-premium quality yet affordably priced at $18.99 (msrp, 750ml).

Unlike its large volume competitors from other parts of the world, Russian vodka traditionally is produced on a small scale — it is a regional craft, not a national one. St. Petersburg™ Vodka does not contract with large, industrial complexes to produce hundreds of thousands of cases at a time. It is produced in a small, privately owned facility. It will always be watched over by master craftsmen who have been producing vodka in the St. Petersburg area for generations, and are passionate about maintaining the area’s reputation as the best vodka-producing region in the world.

According to St. Petersburg™ Vodka’s spokesman Leonid Ossovski, St. Petersburg-region vodkas are very popular all over Russia now, due to the emigration of St. Petersburg residents first to Moscow, and then to other parts of the country. In fact, St. Petersburg™ Vodka’s sister brand (named in Cyrillic) sells nearly one-half million cases of vodka every year throughout Russia.

“Now, we are introducing St. Petersburg™ Vodka in the U.S.— so Americans can experience the true ‘Taste of Russia®’ without having to travel half way around the world,” said Ossovski.

In Russia there are three standardized grades of alcohol: low-grade, extra-grade, and lux-grade. “St. Petersburg™ Vodka uses lux-grade alcohol, the softest grade available, made exclusively from winter wheat, with just a hint of sweetness. Our formula is nearly 250 years old, dating back to the time of Catherine the Great,” Ossovski said.

In addition, St. Petersburg™ Vodka achieves the perfect balance of purity and taste with three distillations. Most vodkas use well water laden with minerals that negatively impact taste and are too expensive to remove. St. Petersburg™ Vodka uses water from the pristine Lake Ladoga, the largest fresh water lake in Europe. It also uses a charcoal filtration process that sets genuine Russian vodkas apart from all others in the world. Due to the microclimates and conditions specific to each region in Russia, the charcoal in each region differs markedly from another. For example, birch trees in the St. Petersburg region produce a superior, highly absorbent charcoal, which is the kind used exclusively by St. Petersburg™ Vodka.

“St. Petersburg™ Vodka will always be bottled in the St. Petersburg region, for access to the best water and charcoal in all of Russia,” said Ossovski.

St. Petersburg™ Vodka has been a hit with critics and connoisseurs. It was awarded the 2007 Best Buy Bar Competition’s Gold Medal (Best Value Vodka, 94 points) and the 2006 International Review of Spirits Gold Medal (Best Buy, Exceptional). St. Petersburg™ Vodka is imported by Preiss Imports of San Diego. For more information on St. Petersburg™ Vodka call 619-857-2782.