Russia’s conquest of Ukraine prompted the West suspending large parts of its alcohol trade with Russia, while providing a reason to curb our own drinking.
London-listed alcohol giant Diageo on Thursday
joined dozens of multinationals in halting Russian business on Thursday, suspending the sale of its Smirnoff vodka and Guinness in both Russia and Ukraine. It gives little information on how big the business is, although Smirnoff is a popular premium vodka brand.
The pub chain Wetherspoons did its bit by halting Russian trade in the other direction, removing Russian-made Baltika from its menus. Baltika is made by an eponymous Russian subsidiary of Danish brewer
Carlsberg which says it exports to 79 countries. Carslberg made about a tenth of its 66.6bn krone ($9.9bn) in Russia last year.
A host of US and Canadian regional authorities banned Russian-made alcohol, including
Alabama, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire,
North Carolina,
Québec,
Ohio,
Ontario,
Pennsylvania,
Utah and West Virginia. Others, like Texas, called for alcohol retailers to remove Russian products from sale voluntarily.
The relatively modest sums involved in the halting of this trade will do little to erode Vladimir Putin’s enormous war chest, but they do help send a strong message that his invasion is unacceptable.
The war and well-meant boycotts can be manipulated in publicity material to promote alcohol drinking. But
Alcohol Review suggested seeing minimising alcohol as a way to
defy Putin’s hybrid warfare, which hopes to distress and confuse enemy populations.
Minimising alcohol intake reduces the risk of developing anxiety, depression and of making misjudgements and errors. It also saves money that can be given to causes such as the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine
appeal, or to be better prepared for a crisis oneself. ■
