Helsinki, Finland (February 1, 2012) – The world’s most elite bartenders came together in Helsinki, Finland for the 14^th Annual International Finlandia Vodka Cup on February 1, 2012. At stake was international bragging rights and a chance to win up to $25,000. This year’s championship prize was awarded to Krzysztof Rathnau of Poland who scored the highest in the overall competition. Additional prizes were awarded to Monica Berg of Norway who received top honors in the Quick Mix category, Jarkko Issukka of Finland for his aperitif cocktail, and Andrei Todosi of Romanai for his long drink.

 “The Finlandia Vodka Cup brings together the world’s most elite bartenders and this year’s competition further demonstrated the excellent skills and creativity that our competitors bought to the competition” said Neil Punwani, Senior Vice-President and Managing Director of Vodka at Brown-Forman. “We were extremely lucky to have such outstanding ambassadors for our brand as the event truly brings out the best in our industry.”

During the Vodka Cup finals, a total of 12 judges critiqued bartenders on the art, style and craft of three original Finlandia cocktails: aperitif, a long drink and the “Quick Mix.” The international FVC Final followed the same format as in previous years but with a slight twist as each cocktail category featured a specific Finlandia product. Finlandia vodka was required to be the primary ingredient of each.

The competition’s new format allowed for bartenders from around the world to enter by submitting their recipe, along with a picture of the finished cocktail and description of its ingredients, online at Finlandia.com.

 Louisville, KY (October 25, 2011) – Finlandia was named one of only 11 brands on the IWSR’s Elite Brand list this year. Making the list for the fifth consecutive year, Finlandia placed fifth overall and was the top-ranked vodka.

“Consistency of message & superior execution are keys to success ” says Neil Punwani, Senior Vice-President and Managing Director of Vodka at Brown-Forman. “ Finlandia will never compromise on product quality for short term gain, our consumers understand that. At the same time we seek to continually delight them with stunning design, exciting product extensions and innovative flavors.  “ 

The criteria for making IWSR’s Elite Brand list is that a brand must sell more than one million cases worldwide, with at least 40% of sales outside their main market to demonstrate international presence. Additionally, the brand must maintain a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of at least 5% for the last five years of growth to demonstrate sustained growth. The IWSR is the leading provider of data on wines, spirits and RTDs.

“Finlandia is known for its award-winning, progressive design work,” said Neil Punwani, Managing Director for Vodka at Bown-Forman. “The new bottle is wonderfully crafted to express the purity & natural heritage of the brand – the best design, as in this case, is often stunningly simple.”

Louisville, Ky. (July 18, 2011): Finlandia Vodka continues to enhance its portfolio with new flavors as Raspberry and Redberry become its latest flavor innovations. Finlandia Raspberry is currently hitting shelves nationwide, while Finlandia Redberry will be available in select markets. The new flavors join an already successful portfolio of Finlandia flavored vodkas, and can each be purchased for $17.99.

Finlandia Raspberry features bold raspberry flavors with hints of strawberries and subtle notes of chocolate. It’s a perfect balance of Finlandia’s pristine vodka and the flavors of nature’s finest raspberries and red berries delivering the true essence of the fruit in the bottle.

Finlandia Redberry features a sweet blend of delectable berry flavors and premium Finlandia Vodka. It’s distinctive and smooth with subtle notes of vanilla and honey layered together with cranberries and raspberries.

“We believe the new Finlandia Raspberry and Redberry are an excellent addition to our current portfolio as they are fresh and unique, consistent with our focus on all natural flavors,” said John Hudson, group brand director for Finlandia Vodka. “With each new Finlandia flavor, we strive to provide our consumers with the bold, natural flavor experiences they’re looking for and we believe we’ve done this as the new Finlandia Raspberry and Redberry truly capture the flavor of these fruits in the bottle.”

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Bottle remains true to its Finnish origins and progressive design history

Finlandia Vodka^®, known for its pristine vodka and innovative package design, opens a new chapter with the introduction of a new bottle, dubbed ‘melting ice’.

Since Finlandia Vodka is made from among the purest water in the world -- born from the glacial ice that covered Finland 10,000 years ago -- the new bottle captures the gentle ripples at the precise moment before ice moves from solid to liquid, evoking the crystal clarity of the Finlandia it holds.