In 2014, Smirnoff vodka became the leader in global sales. The brand's founder, Pyotr Arsenyevich Smirnov, was born in 1831 into a serf family in the Myshkin district of Yaroslavl province. After gaining his freedom in 1857, he moved to Moscow, where in 1860 he opened a small wine shop on Pyatnitskaya Street with nine employees. Pyotr Arsenyevich left his children a business empire, bequeathing a capital of 15 million rubles, which today is equivalent to about 1 billion dollars.

After his death in January 1903, Pyotr Arsenyevich's sons, Pyotr, Nikolai, and Vladimir, founded the trading house "Pyotr, Nikolai, and Vladimir Petrovich Smirnovs," continuing the business under the brand "P. A. Smirnov in Moscow."

In 1917, Smirnov was arrested by the Cheka, where he was demanded to return the "stolen goods." He fled to the White Army but was later captured again by the Red Army in Crimea. For five days, he was taken for execution, but each time the commander canceled the order. The commissioner promised to shoot him at dawn, but soon General Shkuro's cavalry rescued Vladimir Petrovich. He left Russia on a ship of the White Army.

In Constantinople, having lost his fortune, the former millionaire and renowned horse breeder decided to revive the production of "Smirnov" vodka. He personally designed the label and created the bottle for the new Smirnoff brand.

Vladimir Petrovich passed away on August 24, 1934, in Nice and was buried at the Kokad cemetery.