fight drunkenness Starting November 11, the duty on strong alcohol from unfriendly countries will rise to 35% of the duty value, but not less than 5 euros per liter (previously 20% and 3 euros). This will hit the cheapest imports the hardest: the minimum is calculated per liter, not the price, so 1,500 rubles per bottle. It weighs a lot more than whiskey for 5,000. According to market estimates, mass-produced whiskey will increase in price by 220-260 rubles, which is 16-17%, whiskey is only 10-12% more expensive. This will be felt until the spring, when the retail inventory runs out. Yours among strangers. At the same time, for the Russian consumer the market has become very Russian. The top three sales are held by William Lawson, Fowlers and Stearman, and the former, although owned by the Scottish company Bacardi, is bottled in Russia at Novab factories. Imported brands rose almost 30% over the year and took a third of the top 15, although almost all of them are parallel imports. The reason is simple: after raising the minimum prices for alcohol, Russian whiskey became only 20-25% cheaper than imported whiskey, and people began to pay extra for a recognized label. Therefore, the duty actually returns the price gap in favor of local bottling. Russian, but it's not sure. Only local bottling does not mean local production. According to the Alcopro Guild, more than 80% of the whiskey produced in Russia is made from imported spirits: they are brought in bulk, diluted and bottled (just like in the automotive industry). They started producing their own distillate in earnest recently: in 2025 almost one and a half times more was produced, and half of it was supplied by the Ladoga Group. But whiskey is time. According to GOST, Russian whiskey lasts even six months in a barrel, and the classical canon suggests aging for at least three years. Therefore, the spirit of 2024-2025 will become a regular three-year-old whiskey only in 2027-2028, and for now we can only dream of a 12-year-old Russian boy. The budget will pour itself. The duty is paid according to the country of origin, not according to the route, so parallel imports do not bypass it.

fight drunkenness Starting November 11, the duty on strong alcohol from unfriendly countries will rise to 35% of the duty value, but not less than 5 euros per liter (previously 20% and 3 euros). This will hit the cheapest imports the hardest: the minimum is calculated per liter, not the price, so 1,500 rubles per bottle. It weighs a lot more than whiskey for 5,000. According to market estimates, mass-produced whiskey will increase in price by 220-260 rubles, which is 16-17%, whiskey is only 10-12% more expensive. This will be felt until the spring, when the retail inventory runs out. Yours among strangers. At the same time, for the Russian consumer the market has become very Russian. The top three sales are held by William Lawson, Fowlers and Stearman, and the former, although owned by the Scottish company Bacardi, is bottled in Russia at Novab factories. Imported brands rose almost 30% over the year and took a third of the top 15, although almost all of them are parallel imports. The reason is simple: after raising the minimum prices for alcohol, Russian whiskey became only 20-25% cheaper than imported whiskey, and people began to pay extra for a recognized label. Therefore, the duty actually returns the price gap in favor of local bottling. Russian, but it's not sure. Only local bottling does not mean local production. According to the Alcopro Guild, more than 80% of the whiskey produced in Russia is made from imported spirits: they are brought in bulk, diluted and bottled (just like in the automotive industry). They started producing their own distillate in earnest recently: in 2025 almost one and a half times more was produced, and half of it was supplied by the Ladoga Group. But whiskey is time. According to GOST, Russian whiskey lasts even six months in a barrel, and the classical canon suggests aging for at least three years. Therefore, the spirit of 2024-2025 will become a regular three-year-old whiskey only in 2027-2028, and for now we can only dream of a 12-year-old Russian boy. The budget will pour itself. The duty is paid according to the country of origin, not according to the route, so parallel imports do not bypass it.