‘First lady of vodka’ crowned

Claire Smith-Warner, the global head of spirit creation and mixology for Belvedere, has been named Brand Ambassador of the Year.

In addition, Smith-Warner also received the award of “Best International Brand Ambassador 2015” at the ninth annual Spirited Awards held in New Orleans.

Also known as the ‘First Lady of Vodka’, Smith-Warner joined Belvedere in 2003 as brand ambassador, and “has driven education and awareness of the vodka category for over 12 years as well as being responsible for Belvedere’s new vodka development and cocktail strategy,” said Belvedere which is represented by Moët Hennessy Diageo in Hong Kong (MHDHK).

“For me, knowing the difference is having a lot of confidence to take a step back and allow the quality of the craftsmanship, the pure ingredients and the heritage to take over,” said Smith-Warner.

“I find that Belvedere’s commitment to innovation is incredibly motivating. Our devotion to our Polish provenance means that we have an abundance of avenues to explore creatively. This drives my passion to maintain our position as the world’s first luxury vodka by balancing innovation with a desire to respect over 600 years of Polish vodka-making tradition.”

Belvedere was the official drinks partner of the James Bond film, Spectre and launched a series of limited edition bottles and cocktails ahead of the film’s release date last year.

Its ‘Unfiltered’ vodka made from Dankowskie Diamond Rye was launched in the UK in 2012 and MHDHK will release it to the Hong Kong market next month.