We start with the best grain neutral spirit, improving it with an industry-leading distillation and charcoal filtration process.

Smirnoff distillation uses high column plate stills, a process that takes 24 hours. Eventually the neutral spirit becomes a strong, pure alcohol. This is blended with demineralised water to achieve a strength of 57% alc/vol.

The Smirnoff filtration process is unparalleled. Our blended spirit is charcoal filtered for up to eight full hours, using seven tons of hardwood charcoal to absorb impurities.

Once charcoal filtered, the Smirnoff is still too strong to drink. More demineralised water is added to reduce the vodka to bottling strength. Samples from each tank are scrupulously analysed for quality and consistency.

Diageo North America has extended the Smirnoff vodka line with a new pre-mix cocktail line. The Smirnoff Cocktails Collection will initially include Grand Cosmopolitan and Vodka Mojito extensions, each available in 750-ml. and 1.75-liter bottles that will retail for $13 and $20, respectively. Smirnoff Grand Cosmopolitan is a combination of Smirnoff Vodka No 21 (the franchise’s flagship offering), Grand Marnier liqueur (which is handled in the U.S. by Moët Hennessy USA), cranberry juice and a splash of lime. It’s currently in national distribution and available at liquor outlets across the U.S. The Vodka Mojito extension, a play on the traditional rum-based Cuban Mojito, combines Smirnoff No 21 with lime and mint flavors, and other quality ingredients.

Currently available in the Northeast, the premix Mojito is expected to launch nationwide this fall.

Today, Smirnoff is the number one premium vodka brand in the world, sold in over 130 countries. Smirnoff still makes vodka according to the traditions of PA, using the multi-column charcoal filtration process he developed. As was the case over a century ago, the popularity of Smirnoff brand vodka comes from the combination of an outstanding vodka at an accessible price.

Smirnoff is as proud of its heritage as it is of its high quality vodka. In 2003 Smirnoff No. 21 won the Gold Medal in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and then in January 2005, the New York Times assembled a diverse panel of experts to conduct a blind taste test of 21 leading vodka brands, including vodkas from Poland, Russia, the United States, Estonia and the Netherlands. The result saw Smirnoff No. 21 named the "hands down" favourite, praised for being "pure, clean and ultra smooth, with pleasing texture and classic vodka aroma."

The Smirnoff story is one of innovation, adventure and cunning. PA's methods of using multiple columns of charcoal provide the smoothness of the vodka we know today; his son Vladimir effected a remarkable escape from death and journeyed across Russia and Europe to re-establish the Smirnoff brand after the Bolshevik Revolution; and then in the United States Smirnoff hit on novel methods of marketing which redefined the way the world drinks.