Supreme Brand Champion 2025: Nemiroff Vodka
As Ukrainian vodka company Nemiroff is named Supreme Brand Champion 2025, we discover the secret behind its success and its plans for growth.
We’ve seen Tequila, whisky, and rum become the Supreme Brand Champion in the past decade, but never has a vodka producer been able to take the top title until now. This year’s Supreme Brand Champion is Nemiroff, a Ukrainian vodka maker that has been making waves internationally, particularly in Europe.
Assessing each category champion, Nemiroff was singled out for its sales rebound in 2023 after a tumultuous period when Russia invaded Ukraine, and the brand’s growth continued the following year with sales soaring by 20.8%. Its sales increase last year is particularly impressive in a declining vodka category, with the likes of Smirnoff and Grey Goose failing to achieve growth.
If Nemiroff continues at its growth trajectory, the brand is likely to return to the 5m-plus cases it recorded in 2020 and 2021.
But what was key to its success last year? Yuriy Sorochynskiy, who has been leading Nemiroff as CEO since 2020, says the brand’s growth was led by “strategic execution in priority markets”, namely Western Europe and the US.
Nemiroff is available in more than 60 markets, and in the past year its presence has expanded to include Germany, Australia and India. Sorochynskiy highlights key markets to be Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Canada and the UK.
Despite challenges from Covid-19 and the instability of war in Ukraine, the brand managed to grow volume sales in its home market by 18% last year, following 44% growth in the previous year.
Sorochynskiy notes that vodka is a “really tough category with huge competition”, stressing that the brand has had to “fight for its place in the market”. Vodka is one of the biggest categories in the world – in the US, it accounts for 30% of all spirits volumes, according to data from Distilled Spirits Council of the US. Since 2021, its volumes have been declining in the States, with 74.119m nine-litre cases recorded in 2024. However, it remains almost in line with pre-pandemic volumes (2019: 74.148m).
Marketing efforts
Nemiroff has made every effort to attract a wider base of consumers through its latest sports sponsorships. In 2024, the company partnered with four English Premier League teams: Aston Villa, West Ham United, Everton, and Fulham FC.
Due to the worldwide popularity of these football teams, Sorochynskiy believes the deals will increase brand awareness. Sponsoring Premier League clubs enables Nemiroff to connect with millions of football fans worldwide through exclusive club-inspired cocktails, match-day activations, and initiatives. The partnership extends beyond the pitch, introducing campaigns, digital engagement, merchandise collaborations, and support for grassroots football programmes.
Nemiroff has a long history of partnerships with sporting events and organisations, including boxing. In 2018, the brand signed a strategic partnership with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), becoming its official vodka partner. In 2022, the company had to put a hold on its sponsorships due to Ukrainian government restrictions, which have since been lifted.
Sorochynskiy stresses the importance of advertising to become a “global brand” but adds that when it comes to exploring other markets and creating brand awareness, the company takes a long-term view: “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
It’s no surprise that Nemiroff is also considering partnerships in other sports to supports its global strategy, but Sorochynskiy is tight-lipped, adding that any deals are a “work in progress”. Along with the English Premier League sponsorships, the UK is a highly important market for the brand, with Nemiroff launching its That’s My Spirit campaign last December.
Nemiroff has also seen a “huge increase” in sales in the UK following its partnership with Whyte & Mackay; the country is now one of the brand’s top-four priority markets.
Another key market for the brand is Canada, where last summer Nemiroff struck a deal with distribution giant Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. The company’s network spans more than 2,600 retail outlets and more than 4,000 on-trade venues.
Sorochynskiy calls Canada a “strategic market”, noting how many Ukrainian people emigrated to the country at the end of the 19th century.
Innovation efforts have also helped keep the brand front of mind with consumers. In 2023, the company unveiled Lex vodka as its most premium product, with Gen Z named as its “primary target audience”.
Nemiroff says it took more than 100 tastings to find the exact liquid for Lex, and nearly three years of development. Its production – involving 13 filtration stages, including through silver, platinum, shungite and amber – is part of the brand’s approach to “redefine” vodka.
As for future plans, Nemiroff intends to introduce several new products this year, including a pair of flavoured vodkas in Ukraine in June. There are also two premium products in the pipeline for autumn, but details are under wraps. The company will also bring the That’s My Spirit campaign to other markets.
Nemiroff has the ambitious goal of becoming a top-five global vodka brand, and if it can continue to grow at double-digit rates and reach new consumers, it will be in a very strong position to take on the category’s front-runners.
The Brand Champions report analyses the world’s million-case-selling spirits brands. The 2025 edition is available to read online for free.
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