Vitebsk Liqueur and Vodka Plant will start producing cognacs in 2011

February 3, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. RUP "Vitebsk Distillery" Pridvinye "will allocate Br5.5 billion to fixed capital in 2011, the enterprise informed a BELTA correspondent. A significant volume of investments will be directed towards the development of cognac production. Thus, already in the current month, the plant plans to launch a new Italian line for bottling cognacs in souvenir bottles with a capacity of 3 thousand bottles per hour. Cognacs will be bottled in eight types of bottles of various shapes and volumes from 0.1 to 0.7 liters. Currently, the reconstruction of a free workshop of the enterprise is being completed to organize its own cognac production. The Vitebsk Distillery will purchase raw materials - cognac spirits of three, five and seven years of aging - from well-known cognac producers, and will produce the drink according to the recipes of its technologists. It is planned that the first batch of its own cognac will appear in August-September. In total, in 2011, the enterprise intends to produce 15 thousand decaliters of its own cognac and 13 thousand decaliters of bulk cognac. In addition, the production of non-alcoholic beverages will be further developed. Thus, in the second quarter of the current year, the plant plans to start producing bottled drinking water in 6-liter bottles at the Lintup branch, and at the head enterprise - to bottle mineral water in a branded glass bottle of 0.33 liters and 0.75 liters. Over the past year, the enterprise produced products worth over Br85 billion, or 109.6% compared to 2009. Vodka and liquor products produced during this period amounted to 1.5 million decaliters (100.5% compared to 2009), non-alcoholic beverages - 52 thousand decaliters (179.3%), cognac - 15 thousand decaliters (115.4%), rectified spirit - 1.3 million decaliters (105.6%), mineral waters - 709 thousand half-liter bottles. Investments in 2010 amounted to about Br5 billion. Exports over the past year increased 5.5 times and amounted to about $2.2 million. Supplies of alcoholic beverages were carried out to the Baltic countries, Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Germany, Bulgaria, Turkey. Vitebsk Distillery was founded in 1898. The enterprise includes the Bogushevsky and Lintup alcohol plants. The range of alcoholic products manufactured includes more than 40 items. The average number of employees is 650 people. -0-