Pursuits

Jim Beam Didn’t Get Putin Memo as Whiskey Eyes Russians

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Beam Inc. wants more vodka-imbibing Russians to drink Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark whiskey.

Apparently Vladimir Putin didn’t get the memo. In a campaign to help his people live longer, Russia’s president is pushing the biggest crackdown on alcohol since the cold war. That could complicate Beam’s efforts in a nation that’s a cornerstone of its emerging-market strategy.