Belvedere

Belvedere at a Glance

Belvedere has 8 distinct products with 14 total TTB label approvals, including Vodka, Vodka - Other Flavored, Vodka 80-89 Proof. Labels approved between 2020-03-01 and 2026-01-08. Label origins on file: Poland.

At a Glance data sourced from public TTB records.

Belvedere Vodka: From a 1910 Distillery in Żyrardów to LVMH

The Polmos Żyrardów blending team named their new vodka Belvedere after the Belweder Palace in Warsaw, and the first bottles were produced in 1994, Difford's Guide says. Belvedere's own FAQ, for its part, says the Belvedere Vodka brand was officially created and launched in 1993.

The Żyrardów distillery before Belvedere

The Żyrardów distillery where Belvedere is made, about 45km west of Warsaw, was established in May 1910 by Dawid and Mejer Pines, Difford's Guide says. The Pines brothers, who were Jewish, sold their distillery, and the new owners extensively modernised its equipment in 1932, the guide adds. In 1945 the communist regime nationalised Żyrardów along with 24 other vodka producing facilities, and the distillery became Polmos Żyrardów, according to the guide.

How Belvedere Vodka reached the US

Edward Jay Phillips formed Millennium Import Company in 1994, Twin Cities Business says. In 1995, after negotiations with the Polish government, which owned all of the country's distilleries, Millennium became the sole US licensee of two Polish vodka brands, the magazine adds. Millennium acquired the sole US rights to Belvedere and Chopin vodkas and launched Belvedere in the US in early 1996, Difford's Guide says.

The fight over the Belvedere name in the US

The US trademark to the Belvedere name was owned by Belvedere Winery in Healdsburg, California, which granted Millennium Imports a licence to use it, according to Difford's Guide. Millennium, owned by LVMH, used the Belvedere name for its vodka under that licence, and the winery sued Millennium for breach of the licensing agreement and was granted summary judgment, a 2013 New York Appellate Division opinion records. Difford's Guide dates the winery's termination of the licence to 10 November 2005 and a California federal district court's ruling that Millennium had breached its licence to April 2007.

The dispute was resolved when Millennium's affiliate Polmos Zyrardow acquired the Belvedere brand and domain name in the USA, an LVMH prospectus supplement dated 9 October 2007 says.

Who owns Belvedere and what it is made from

The Polish government privatised Polmos Żyrardów in October 2001 with Millennium Imports LLC as the main shareholder, Difford's Guide says. LVMH bought a 40% stake in Millennium Imports in July 2002, raised it to 70%, and reached 100% in April 2005, the guide adds. LVMH paid 92 million euros for that third tranche, 30 percent, in 2005, Twin Cities Business says.

Belvedere Vodka is owned and produced by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, and it is made from Polish Dankowskie rye and purified water from Belvedere's own artesian wells, the brand's FAQ says. Each label approval on file is listed in the TTB label records for Belvedere on this page.

Sources

• Difford's Guide. “Polmos Żyrardów Distillery (Belvedere) history.” Undated. https://www.diffordsguide.com/producers/433/polmos-zyrardow-distillery-belvedere/history
• Belvedere Vodka (belvederevodka.com). “FAQ | Belvedere Vodka.” Undated. https://www.belvederevodka.com/en-int/faq
• Twin Cities Business. “Edward Jay Phillips.” Undated. https://tcbmag.com/honors/edward-jay-phillips/
• LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (via Luxembourg Stock Exchange). “Third Supplement dated 9 October 2007 to the Debt Issuance Programme Prospectus.” 9 October 2007. https://dl.bourse.lu/dl?v=Ad1eA7yf95LO7OtKkVeNjTJ+O0Ofz5h+d5aIt93s8TL5cB8vrCmVTVonlJLVJW7W7YUnCKlNVzJFBKq%2FyOaLP6oskF4ZN8+RyGFRr%2Fag6tJtnryCrCBPnIBRFtENpOojRkDoHG2OyMoszGzjOeoFkg0n0KUTZbahJLDSA6raqZSHNeed5R9UrU0%2FabwryPz6
• New York State Law Reporting Bureau. “Millennium Import, LLC v Reed Smith LLP, 2013 NY Slip Op 00405.” 24 January 2013. https://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2013/2013_00405.htm
• TTB Public COLA Registry via BUY.VODKA data snapshot (src/data/labels.json, local build 15 October 2026). “Belvedere” label approvals. Local read-only query, 15 October 2026.

Produced At

Related Brands

• Sobieski also from Poland
• Bialy Bocian also from Poland
• V-One also from Poland
• Chopin also from Poland
• Score also from Poland
• Muscle also makes Vodka - Other Flavored
• Veil also makes Vodka - Other Flavored
• Stoli also makes Vodka - Other Flavored
• Heritage Distilling CO also makes Vodka - Other Flavored
• Holla also makes Vodka - Other Flavored

Related Questions

• Where is Belvedere vodka made?
• Who makes Belvedere vodka and who owns the brand?
• What proof is Belvedere vodka?

Browse All Labels

• a
• b
• c
• d
• e
• f
• g
• h
• i
• j
• k
• l
• m
• n
• o
• p
• q
• r
• s
• t
• u
• v
• w
• x
• y
• z
• 0-9