Smirnoff vs Svedka: How the Two Vodkas Compare

Smirnoff and Svedka are the two vodkas most people reach for when the vodka is going into a mixed drink and the brand name is not the point. They sit at similar price tiers and both come in a long list of flavors, so they get compared constantly. They are made from different grain in different countries, and there are real differences between them. Here is the side-by-side.

The short version

Smirnoff No. 21 is a corn-based vodka, distilled three times and charcoal filtered, made under license in many countries and owned by Diageo. Svedka is a Swedish winter-wheat vodka, distilled five times at a single distillery in Lidköping, Sweden. Both are 40% ABV (80 proof) in their standard bottling, both are gluten-free, and both sell 70 proof flavored lines and a 100 proof unflavored version. In a mixed drink the difference is small; tasted neat, Smirnoff reads a little sharper and Svedka a little softer.

Smirnoff

Smirnoff traces back to a distillery Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov opened in Moscow in 1864. Smirnov was an early adopter of charcoal filtration, and by the 1880s his vodka was supplied to the Russian court. After the revolution the family’s business was seized; Pyotr’s son Vladimir re-established the brand in exile, changed the spelling to the French-style “Smirnoff,” and eventually sold the American rights to Rudolph Kunett, who in turn sold to Heublein in 1939. Heublein’s marketing, including the Moscow Mule in the 1940s, is what made vodka an American drink. Smirnoff has been owned by Diageo since 1997 and is sold in more than 130 countries.

Grain and production

Smirnoff No. 21, the standard red-label bottling, is distilled from corn. It is distilled three times and filtered ten times through charcoal, which the brand describes as the same basic method Smirnov used. Because the brand is produced under license in many countries, the exact distillery varies by market; US Smirnoff is made in Illinois. It is gluten-free and kosher certified.

Range

Smirnoff No. 21 is 80 proof. The brand also sells a 90 proof No. 57 and a 100 proof Blue label. The flavored vodkas, which are 70 proof, have included raspberry, blueberry, grapefruit, lime, green apple, vanilla, citrus, orange, watermelon, cherry, peach and a rotating set of seasonal and limited flavors. Smirnoff Zero Sugar Infusions are 60 proof flavored vodkas with no added sugar, in flavors such as Strawberry & Rose, Watermelon & Mint and Cucumber & Lime.

Other Smirnoff products

Smirnoff is also a large malt beverage and seltzer brand. Smirnoff Ice is a 5% ABV flavored malt beverage that comes in more than a dozen flavors, Smirnoff Ice Smash is an 8% version, and Smirnoff Seltzer is a 4.5% hard seltzer line. None of these contain vodka; they are brewed malt beverages sold under the Smirnoff name.

Svedka

Svedka is a much younger brand. It was launched in 1998 by Guillaume Cuvelier, a former Marie Brizard executive, who saw room for a Swedish vodka priced below Absolut. The name is a blend of “svenska,” Swedish for Swedish, and “vodka.” Constellation Brands bought Svedka in 2007 and grew it into one of the largest imported vodkas in the US; Constellation sold the brand to Sazerac in 2025.

Grain and production

Svedka is made from Swedish winter wheat grown around Lidköping, in south-central Sweden, and distilled at a single facility there run by an agricultural cooperative. It is column distilled five times, then blended with local spring water. The brand states that a liter of Svedka uses about 1.5 kg of wheat. It is gluten-free.

Range

The standard bottling is 80 proof, and there is a 100 proof version of the unflavored vodka. The flavored line is 70 proof and has included Strawberry Lemonade, Mango Pineapple, Blue Raspberry, Peach, Cucumber Lime, Citron, Clementine, Raspberry and Cherry. Svedka Pure Infusions are the no-added-sugar flavored line, in Strawberry Guava, Ginger Lime and Dragonfruit Melon.

Other Svedka products

Svedka has sold canned vodka soda cocktails at 8% ABV, a Svedka Rosé that blends vodka with a small amount of rosé wine at 40% ABV, and a hard seltzer line that has been discontinued in most markets.

Side by side

	Smirnoff No. 21	Svedka
Origin of brand	Moscow, 1864	Sweden, 1998
Where it is made today	Under license in many countries; US supply from Illinois	Lidköping, Sweden
Grain	Corn	Swedish winter wheat
Distillations	3, plus 10 charcoal filtrations	5
Standard ABV / proof	40% / 80	40% / 80
Other strengths	90 and 100 proof unflavored; 70 proof flavored; 60 proof Zero Sugar Infusions	100 proof unflavored; 70 proof flavored and Pure Infusions
Gluten-free	Yes	Yes
Owner	Diageo	Sazerac

Which one for what

In a vodka soda, a Moscow Mule, a Bloody Mary or anything with juice, the mixer does most of the talking and either brand will do the job. If you are drinking the vodka closer to neat, in a Martini or on the rocks, the wheat base gives Svedka a slightly rounder texture, while the corn base and heavy filtration give Smirnoff a cleaner, more neutral edge. Flavor lines are a matter of taste: Smirnoff has the longer list, Svedka has the more unusual combinations.

Saucey carries both, including most of the flavored bottlings, and delivers in as fast as 25 mins in the cities we serve. Browse vodka on Saucey. For the premium end of the same question, see Belvedere vs Grey Goose and Tito’s vs Grey Goose.

Sources: Diageo and Smirnoff brand materials; Svedka brand materials; Constellation Brands and Sazerac announcements on the 2025 sale. Last checked September 2026.