Despite Russia’s strong affinity to vodka, consumers are very open to trying and purchasing distilled spirits from abroad making this a great market for U.S. exporters. Over the last decade, Russian imports of spirits have increased 4 times making Russia the 3rd largest market in the world for strong spirits. The United States (including Puerto Rico) is the 4th largest supplier of spirits to Russia and has seen doubledigit growth per year since 2010. In 2013, U.S. exports of spirits to Russia set a new record of $124 million, up 19 percent compared to 2012.
