War Moves Vodka Production From Russia To South FL After U.S. Ban

MIAMI, FL — As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, a South Florida-based brand of Russian vodka has been forced to stop its overseas operations and find a new way to continue its business because of the ongoing war and U.S. sanctions.

While Symphony Importers — which owns, imports and markets several spirits brands — is based in Miami, its Zyr Vodka brand is produced in Russia. Now, the company will move its vodka production to the United States as well, David Katz, the company’s president, told Patch.

What’s happening in Ukraine is “shocking,” he said. And because of Russia’s aggression in the country, led by President Vladimir Putin, Zyr’s sales came to a halt practically overnight.

“Putin invaded and my world came crumbling down,” he said.

President Joe Biden issued an executive order earlier this month halting high-end Russian imports into the U.S., including seafood, diamonds and, of course, vodka.

Katz called the ban “strictly for show” and said U.S. and global leaders should focus more on stopping the violence in Ukraine.

“Let’s stop the war,” he said. “How about we focus specifically on that?”

Even before the president’s order, American consumers were making their voices heard by boycotting Russian vodka brands and other products, he added. “Over 1,000 stores removed (our) bottles from their shelves, because of their convictions, because of consumer pressure.”

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He understands people are boycotting these items to make a statement about Russia’s violent invasion of Ukraine, but says it does not have the effect they think it does.

“I’m super torn about it. I get that people want to do something — of course, everybody does,” Katz said. “Will Putin feel it? Of course not. Will Russia feel it? Of course not? Will my bottler in St. Petersburg feel it? They’re huge. They’re monsters. And they’ve already been paid.”

He added, “Who would feel this except for my little company?”

His vodka bottles’ corks are produced in Ukraine. By distilling the vodka in the U.S., rather than Russia, the company Zyr previously partnered with in the war-torn country will “now lose 1 million corks a year” after the crisis has subsided, Katz said. Meanwhile, the raw materials Zyr uses for its glass bottles come from Turkey, a NATO ally.

Katz, a New Jersey native, became fascinated by Russian culture as a teen, and later fell in love with Russian vodka. An ice hockey goalie, he was an avid fan of Vladislav Tretiak, the goalie for the Soviet Union’s hockey team that competed in the 1980 winter Olympics.

“I wore his goalie pads. I wore his number. I followed everything he did,” he said.

Katz also learned his family has roots in that region of the world. His family’s Ellis Island records list the city of Podolsk as their departure point. He assumed it referred to Podolsk, Russia, but later found out there are similarly named cities in Ukraine and other countries in that region.

While attending the University of Rochester in the early 1990s, Katz studied Russian to meet his foreign language requirement. He was “awful” at learning the language in the classroom, though, and studied abroad in Russia for one summer to immerse himself in the culture.

“I somehow picked up the language,” Katz said. “Not from the rules, but just talking. Now, I’m completely bilingual.”

After graduating with a degree in Russian studies and political science, Katz packed his bags to spend a season playing hockey in Russia.

“I left my girlfriend in Baltimore. Told her I’d be back in three months, and I ended up staying five years,” he said.

This is when he learned how important vodka is to Russian culture.

“What you do socially, it’s vodka,” he said. “Not cocktails and not flavored vodka. It’s usually (vodka) shots, even with dinner.”

When he returned to the United States — first living in New York City, then Miami — Katz could not find the Russian vodka he had come to love and set out to create his own. As he developed Zyr, he wanted to create something that was also palatable to Americans.

Traditional Russian vodka is “not soft enough” for Americans, who “don’t want a burn,” he said.

Russian vodkas are also usually laden with additives — glycerin, lactic acid, sugar.

Seeking a smoother finish and a more organic vodka, he ultimately came up with the recipe for Zyr, which features just two ingredients, winter wheat and rye.

“It’s never had a drop of anything else added to it,” Katz said.

The texture was “incredibly soft” with “a creamy body with a natural flavor,” he added.

The brand’s name comes from the Russian phrase and song “Zyrkalo Mira,” which means “reflection of the world.”

For the Zyr brand, Katz interprets this to mean “to reflect the world view of Russian vodka.”

Two decades after selling its first bottles, Zyr has won numerous awards and accolades, including a 100-point rating from Wine Enthusiast and high ratings in international spirits competitions.

Now, the brand has been discontinued — or at least removed from the shelves — by numerous U.S. retailers, including Total Wine and Publix.

He personally knows the owners of many liquor stores, both the larger brands and smaller, independently owned shops. Some have told him that when the Ukraine war dies down, they’ll put Zyr back on their shelves.

For now, “customers don’t want to see that” or anything Russian, Katz said.

Symphony Importers offers a diverse range of spirits, including Whitley Neill Gins and, the latest addition to the roster, Samuel Gelston’s Irish Whiskey. Katz is also close to landing a deal with a Mexican mezcal company. This should keep the company afloat.

But with the sudden halt in vodka sales, there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding Zyr’s future. With the plans in place to move the brand’s production to the U.S., he’s hopeful, though.

It’s a possibility he’s considered for several years, anyway, thinking he might sell both his Russian-made and American-made vodkas.

“Now, it’s a necessity since we cannot import Russian vodka,” Katz said.

His wife’s family farm in Toledo grows “a soft red winter wheat,” he said. While that crop will get harvested in July, in the meantime they’ll search for a source of organic rye.

There’s “a lot of moving pieces,” he added, from financing the U.S. production to finding the equipment he needs. South Florida’s Big Cypress Distillery has offered the use of some of its equipment, and he’s already connected with a few firms who want to be a part of the project. And one of his full-time employees in Moscow, a longtime friend, will come to the U.S. to help move the business forward.

“We’re just going for it,” he said. “I’m always hopeful, always an optimist. You have to be when you’re an entrepreneur.”