Davenport Pub Pours Out Vodka In Support of Ukraine

Bars across the U.S. are ditching Russian liquor and one Davenport bar is jumping on board.

Off Point Pub is taking action to stand in support of Ukraine. Owner Brenda Milam poured her stash of Stolichnaya (Stoli) vodka down the drain.

While Stoli itself is actually registered as a Latvian product with the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, Milam found from research that the wheat used in Stoli is produced in Russia.

"They still purchased their wheat, and it's still partially distilled in Russia, so it's not Russian. But whatever I can do to get money out of Russia, and I'm gonna get it," Milam told WQAD. "You just do what you can for that one person."

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She said Stoli is one of her biggest sellers at the pub but she's willing to take a financial hit by not selling it. However, Stoli did release a statement condemning the Russian actions in Ukraine and supporting the Ukrainian people.

"I knew I was wasting it, but I had to think about the Ukrainian people," Milam told the station. "I'm not political. I'm really nobody. I'm a small business … but it's those home videos that I was watching from Ukrainian people that just broke my heart."

Many places are banning the sale of Russian liquor, including Iowa. Yesterday, Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division to remove all Russian-produced alcoholic liquor from its wholesale purchase list.

None of Iowa's top 50 best selling liquor brands come from Russia.