Russian customers of vodka change their preferences to more expensive varieties of the strong drink. Such result gave a research of analytical agency Nielsen, comparing sales of February-March of 2013 vs 2012. According to the data of the company sales of vodka of the price level from 190 to 215 rubles decreased to 3,5%. Sales of the category from 215-230 rubles went down to 1,4%. At the same time sales of this drink of 230-300 rubles per a bottle of 0,5 l increased to 2,3%, and the premium segment (more than 300 rubles) grew to 1,1%. In spite of this change, the leadership is still kept by the 190-215 rubles segment getting 34,1% of the total vodka sector in February-March 2013. In this price category leaders are vodka Medoff (company «AlcoRuss»), «Starya MoSkwa» and «Prazdnichnaya» (from «Kristall»). Top-10 members are also «Gosudarev zakaz» («Synergy»), «Staraya marka» («Rosspirtprom») and oth. Among more expensive (230–300 rubles) the leader is Ukrainian «Khortitsa», «Talka» of Polish CEDC and «Myagkov» («Synergy»). Curious that at the same time Russians started refusing so-called “tasty” vodka. This segment lost 1,4% in February-March 2013 vs 2012, getting 16,8%. Here in the segment 190–215 rubles the leader is “Berezovie brunki” followed by Medoff and “Straya marka”. In a higher segment (230–300 rubles) «tasty» vodka top-10 contents “Tri starika” (of “Sordis”), cranberry, honey, lemon “Myagkov” and pepper-honey and birch Nemiroff. The head of liqueur-vodka tasting committee of an International Exhibition “ProdExpo” Alexander Zaytsev consider the first rates of the rating of Nielsen well proved. These changes are seen at a falling market of vodka. The fall started in this January when total vodka production decreased to 30% states Russian statistics, totally per quarter it went down to 25,4% vs the same period of 2012. Despite of this, sales of vodka and liqueurs in the 1st quarter of 2013 decreased to 7,8% only. Actually, now the stocks of vodka brought before New Year excise increase are sold. Source – www.izvestia.ru