Diageo, owner of well-known brands like Ciroc, Smirnoff, and Ketel One, now owns 45.5% of Halico, a Vietnamese spirit company, owner of Bluebird vodka. It’s difficult to say what this means for Diageo, a behemoth in the spirits industry, unless they intend to eventually acquire Halico.
Back in August, 2011, The Weekly Standard published an article called the Vodka Nation by Victorino Matus. It’s an ambitious piece of journalism that covers the rise of vodka in America, including several detailed accounts of particular brands attempts to corner the market. Absolut’s ad campaigns as well as Sidney Frank’s invention of Grey Goose are interesting highlights. The article also covers the effect of celebrity endorsment on a vodka brand. Vodka Nation is quite