Khortytsia (company)
Native name | Хортиця |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food and Drink |
| Founded | (2003) |
| Headquarters | Zaporizhzhia, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine, , Ukraine |
| Products | Horilka, Vodka, Alcoholic beverages |
Number of employees | 1,600 |
| Website | |
Khortytsia or Khortytsa (Ukrainian: Хортиця, pronounced [ˈxɔrtɪtsʲɐ]) is a Ukrainian vodka produced at the Khortytsa Distillery in Zaporizhzhia and owned by the Kyiv-based alcohol holding Global Spirits.[1] .[2] Khortytsia markets vodka in the United States under the brand name Khor.[3]
The label is named after Khortytsia Island on the Dnipro River, a national landmark often referred to as “the heart of Ukraine.”[4]
History
Entrepreneur Yevhen Chernyak founded a distribution company in 1998 and began building a new high-tech distillery in 2002; the first Khortytsia bottles rolled off the line in December 2003, exactly one year after construction began.[4] Large-scale exports started in 2006, and by 2011 the brand had entered the United States, where it is sold as Khor.[5] By 2013 Khortytsia products were available in more than eighty countries.[6]
Production and technology
The distillery, one of the ten largest vodka plants in the world, combines continuous column distillation of 100 % grain neutral spirit with artesian spring water sourced on-site.[1] Vodka leaves the plant after a seven-stage filtration sequence that includes quartz sand, birch-and-alder charcoal and schungite mineral filters.[7]
Product portfolio
Khortytsia’s core line is headed by Platinum, followed by premium extensions such as De Luxe and Ice, the latter sold in a temperature-sensitive bottle that turns blue below 5 °C.[7] Flavoured variants—including honey-pepper and birch bud infusions—are released periodically for CIS and export markets.[4]
Global expansion
Between 2012 and 2016 Global Spirits grew Khor’s United States footprint from ten to twenty-two states, generating a 300 % jump in American sales and prompting a restructuring of its stateside sales force.[6]
Market performance
Drinks International tracked a rivalry for third place in global vodka sales between Khortytsia and fellow Ukrainian brand Khlibnyi Dar; in 2015 Khortytsia pulled ahead after posting 3 % volume growth to 7.5 million nine-litre cases.[8] The Spirits Business reported that the label ranked among the world’s top three best-selling vodkas in the 2017 edition of its “Millionaires’ Club” survey.[5] Recent data show Khortytsia shipping 9.3 million cases in 2023, edging closer to Pernod Ricard’s Absolut.[9]
Recent developments
The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has repeatedly disrupted industrial activity in Zaporizhzhia. In June 2025 regional authorities reported that a missile strike damaged an unnamed production facility in the city, underscoring the vulnerability of enterprises such as the Khortytsa plant situated within artillery range.[10] Despite wartime challenges, Global Spirits has maintained limited production and continued export flows through logistics hubs in Poland and the Baltic states.[6]
Recognition and awards
Khortytsia Platinum took a gold medal at both the 2017 New York and Los Angeles International Spirits Competitions, following the distillery’s citation as one of the “world’s best” at the 2014 New York International Spirits Competition.[11] Earlier, the Beverage Testing Institute awarded the same expression a gold medal and a 90-point rating, describing it as “exceptional.”[12]
Ownership and management
Khortytsia is wholly owned by Global Spirits, whose supervisory board is chaired by founder Yevhen Chernyak, ranked nineteenth on Forbes Ukraine’s 2024 rich list with an estimated fortune of US $470 million.[6]
References
- ^ a b "Лікеро-горілчаний завод «Хортиця»". Liga.net (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ "які не досягли повноліття". Archived from the original on November 5, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
- ^ "Khor Vodka". Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ a b c "Історія заводу «Хортиця»". Запоріжжя.one (in Ukrainian). 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Khortytsa Vodka Named Among Top 3 Best-Selling Vodkas in the World". Beverage Trade Network. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d "A Marathon Toward Global Leadership: The Case of the Ukrainian Global Spirits Holding". Forbes Israel. 5 April 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Review: Khor Vodka Ice and De Luxe". Drinkhacker. 21 February 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ "Millionaires' Club: The Vodka List". Drinks International. 27 May 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ "The World's Biggest-Selling Vodka Brands". The Spirits Business. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ "Russia Fires Missiles at Zaporizhzhia – Aftermath". RBC-Ukraine. 29 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ "The World's Best-Selling Vodka Brands". The Spirits Business. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ "Khortytsa Platinum Vodka (Ukraine) Review". Tastings.com. Beverage Testing Institute. 27 October 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
External links