Ukrainian vodka producer Nemiroff has announced a new move into Australia with its De Luxe vodka brand.

The group has hired retail business Endeavour Group to distribute the brand.

De Luxe will be sold through through liquor retailer Dan Murphy’s. It will be available online and in around 270 of its brick-and-mortar stores across the country.

Nemiroff did previously sell its Original vodka to the country between 2005 and 2010, the group told Just Drinks. The sale came to an end in 2010 once stock became depleted.

Nemiroff has described the latest De Luxe launch as its “official entry into Australia”.

“We are excited to bring Nemiroff De Luxe to Australia, a market that appreciates premium quality and craftsmanship," Nemiroff CEO Yuriy Sorochynskiy said. “We are confident that Australian consumers will embrace Nemiroff De Luxe as a new favourite in their premium spirits collection."

Commenting further on the reason behind the entry into Australia, the company said the move was being made “at an opportune time, as the online alcohol sale sector” was witnessing “significant growth” following Covid.

An “increasing shift towards online shopping” would enable the De Luxe brand “to become a new favourite among Australian consumers seeking premium spirits”, Nemiroff added.

The company told Just Drinks it is also planning to launch its premium product, Lex by Nemiroff, in Australia in October.

Since the start of this year, Nemiroff has announced distribution deals for India, Tunisia and Egypt, and further expansion into Canada.

Speaking to Just Drinks in June, Sorochynskiy said the group was “present in more than 60 markets”, which also includes western Europe, the UK and the US.

He added that he expected the vodka category to continue to premiumise “in most markets, like European… American markets, in Asia,” where “the GDP or disposable income is growing”.