×
Enjoying ad-free content?
Since July 1, 2024, we have disabled all ads to improve your reading experience.
This commitment costs us $10,000 a month. Your support can help us fill the gap.
Support us
Our journalism is banned in Russia. We need your help to keep providing you with the truth.

Agency Refuses to Register Vodka Brand on 'Immorality' Grounds

The Russian Patent Agency has refused to register a new vodka brand for apparent references to slang words suggesting heavy drinking, a news report said Monday.

Patent office officials refused to register the “Vyp (Buhalo)” brand, created by the marketing director of Zolotaya Manufaktura, Oleg Glazunov. In their opinion, the use of slang words in the brand name "contravenes public interest and moral principles," RBC reported.

"Vyp" in colloquial slurred Russian sounds like an inviting "Bottoms up!" although the label depicts a bittern, whose name is pronounced similarly. "Buhalo" is written below in Latin letters, apparently to conceal its close resemblance to the Russian word meaning "booze."

The manufacturer says bitterns, the marsh-dwelling birds, were called "bukhalo" in Old Russian, explaining the unusual name. They do not deny, however, that the play on words in the name was intentional.

The agency said that, while nobody remembers and uses the old word for the wading bird, the meaning of the slang verb "bukhat" (drink) is well-known in modern Russia.

The owner of the new brand, Rusinvest, said it would appeal Rospatent's decision in court and that the patent agency’s decision does not affect its plan to develop the brand.  

In the last 18 months, the Russian alcohol market has seen the departure of hit vodka-brand creators Stanislav Kaufman, who designed Putinka, and Vadim Kasyanov, who created Zelyonaya Marka and Zhuravli.

Their resignation created an opportunity for the 43-year-old marketing director of Zolotaya Manufaktura, Oleg Glazunov, who had worked for almost two decades in the alcohol beverages market before his recent time in the spotlight.

Success came to Glazunov with the introduction of the brand name "Belochka. Ya prishla,” in which the Russian word for squirrel is used in its colloquial meaning “delirium tremens.” The provocative brand was further popularized by the stance of the Russian Patent Agency, which refused to register it for two years. But the agency's obstinacy backfired when media attention made the product more popular, and it won the Brand of the Year award in May.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more