On 12 Dec 2005 08:49:18 -0800, "riverman" wrote:

When I was in Latvia, I discovered that, among its countrymen,
Stolichnoya was considered absolute bottom shelf vodka. It sold for
pennies in the supermarket...literally; a 1-liter bottle, fresh from
Russia, was about $1.50 US. The top shelf stuff sold for over $100 a
bottle.

The Russian guides in Kamchatka said Stoli was over-rated and wasn't
that good. They recommended Putinka (named after Putin). It was $17
US per .75 liter. Not bad.

Dave