Casual Friday: Kyrgyz export struts to 4 U.S. states

News: Starting in September, Kyrgyzstan's award-winning Shpilka vodka will be available in package stores in Florida, Missouri, Louisiana, and Oregon.  Shpilka means “stiletto heel”, and a marketing campaign has been envisioned that appeals to female purchasers: a bottle with flowing lines, no doubt a picture of high heels on the label, et cetera.

According to Nick Passmore at Forbes, “Vodka is not only the largest spirits category–one in every four spirits drinks consumed is vodka, according to Joanne Kletecka, Marketing Brand Director for Stolichnaya–but it's also the fastest growing, up almost 20% over the last five years, as reported by the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS).”

I love this stuff:  not necessarily the vodka, I mean the globalization.  Skills learned in niche marketing here could radiate out to other great Kyrgyzstani exports. 

So if you enjoy vodka, try the Shpilka, enjoy it with moderate intake, and don't drive or operate heavy machinery during or afterward.  Be nice to people.  Don't step on their feet with your killer shoes.  And let us know how it was, all right?

Photo: National Gallery of Art, Australia; Zappo's.com