Putin-brand vodka hit liquor stores in Lithuania on September 15

Putin-brand vodka hit liquor stores in Lithuania on September 15, raising eyebrows but also inspiring admiration for what many said was a clever marketing ploy to profit from Russian President Vladimir Putin's name. Putin Vodka, produced by Lithuania's large Alita distillery, features a label in white, blue and red, the colors of Russia's national flag. "Putin" is written in large white letters across the bottle. Because of its name, Putin Vodka has received widespread coverage in the local press, prompting envy from other companies that normally have to spend lavishly on advertising to publicize their new product lines. Alita spokesmen have insisted that the brand wasn't meant to refer to the Russian president. They said it derived from putinas, or snowball tree in English, a red-berried tree found in Lithuania. But most observers said they didn't believe the denials, saying the association with the Russian president couldn't have been accidental. The more the company denied the link, marketing experts pointed out, the more publicity Alita received. The bottles of Putin almost certainly aren't meant to pay homage to the Russian president. Most Lithuanians have expressed deep suspicion about Putin's past working for the Soviet secret police, saying he can't be trusted. The new vodka is currently sold only in Lithuania, though the distillery said it could later decide to export it, even to Russia. There's no word on how the Russian president, who is said to be a teetotaler, feels about the namesake vodka.