Smirnoff (/ˈsmɪərnɒf/; Russian: [smʲɪrˈnof]) is a brand of vodka owned and produced by the British company Diageo.

The Smirnoff brand began with a vodka distillery founded in Moscow by Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov (1831–1898), but its modern incarnation traces back to the 1930s, by American liquor distributor Heublein.

[3][4] Pyotr Arsenyevitch Smirnov (9 January 1831 – 29 November 1898) founded his vodka distillery in Moscow under the trade name PA Smirnov in 1864, pioneered charcoal filtration in the 1870s, and by 1886 had captured two-thirds of the market in Moscow by virtue of the first use of newspaper advertising while suppressing clerical calls for temperance by generously contributing to the clergy.

When the Tsar nationalized the Russian vodka industry in 1904, Vladimir Smirnov was forced to sell his factory and the brand.

In 1933, Vladimir sold Kunett the rights to Smirnoff vodka production and sales in North America.

Kunett then returned to the United States, quit his sales job, and established his first North American distillery in Bethel, Connecticut, after the end of Prohibition in 1933.

By 1938, Kunett could not afford the sales licenses, and contacted John Martin, president of Heublein, a company that specialized in the import and export of liquors and foreign foods.

Using the $14,000 that the Heublein company made from a new product that ended up saving them from bankruptcy, Martin bought the rights to Smirnoff in 1939.

"[7] After a number of lawsuits, Smirnoff successfully reclaimed its trademark, while in 2006 Diageo concluded a joint venture deal with the Smirnov company.

In the late-1990s, Smirnoff introduced a series of new products onto the UK and later the European and North American market, which quickly became popular among young people, especially within the club scene (see "Alcopops").

There are two different products by the name of Smirnoff Ice: one, sold in France and the United States, is a citrus-flavoured malt beverage (5.0% ABV) with variants in "Original", and "Triple Black".

The other, sold in Europe (excluding France), Latin America, Australia and Canada, is a premixed vodka drink.

This product line was marketed most notably with the "Tea Partay" music video and website.

Flavours include Green Apple, Orange, Cranberry, Raspberry, Citrus (Lemon), Vanilla, Strawberry, Black Cherry, Watermelon, Lime, Blueberry, White Grape, Melon (Honeydew/Cantaloupe), Pomegranate, Passion Fruit, Pear, Peach, Pineapple, Mango, Coconut, and most recently Amaretto.

[11] In a 2005 New York Times blind tasting of 21 vodkas, Smirnoff won as the "hands-down favorite".

A 2013 study found that Smirnoff malt beverages were the second-most popular brand specific alcohols consumed by underage youths in the United States.

It is made by the Smirnov Trading House, a company that is part of a joint venture by Russia's Alfa Group and Diageo set up in February 2006.