Jameson Is Safe to Drink Again
The French concern Pernod Ricard, producer of Jameson whisky, announced its withdrawal from the Russian market.
This is stated in the official statement of the company.
“Pernod Ricard can confirm that it has stopped all exports of its international brands to Russia at the end of April 2023. We will also cease the distribution of our portfolio in Russia, a process that we anticipate will take some months to complete.
We are assessing how to adapt our local organisation in light of these decisions, while fully complying with all local legal regulations.
Since the outbreak of the war, our guiding principle has been the welfare of our teams wherever they are based, and we will continue to support our local employees during this process.
According to Pernod Ricard's Russian subsidiary, P.R. Rus JSC, the company's revenue in 2022 decreased to 19.2 billion roubles from 27.5 billion roubles in 2021, net profit to 2 billion roubles from 2.1 billion roubles respectively,” the statement said.
Like many other foreign companies, Pernod Ricard halted operations in Russia after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but on April 11 it announced the resumption of supplies. Following which, it was criticized and boycotted in a number of European countries.
In particular, the Ukrainian diaspora in Ireland conducted a campaign aimed at drawing public attention to the decision of Pernod Ricard and their subsidiary Irish Distillers. Larysa Herasko, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland, also joined the appeals.
“Actions have results! It has become known that Pernod Ricard have announced a complete cessation of supply of Jameson whisky to Russia and are going to withdraw completely from the Russian market.
We believe it was the right decision, thanks to the public reaction in Ireland and our work, Pernod Ricard realized that it's not worth slapping the world-famous Irish brand by selling it to Russia,” reads a statement from NGO Ukrainian Action in Ireland.
According to the Irish Whiskey Association, prior to the war in Ukraine, Russia was Ireland's second-largest whiskey export market after the United States. In 2020, 534 thousand cases of whiskey were sold in Russia.
Last November, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation included alcohol in the list of goods that can be imported into Russia without the permission of producers and rights holders under the scheme of “gray” import. The list included such alcoholic brands as Jegermeister, Jameson, Jim Beam, Johnnie Walker, Absolut, Aperol, White Horse, Wiliam Lawsons, Hennessy, Moet, Bacardi, Baileys, Capitan Morgan.