Smirnoff 1818 was founded by Piotr Arseneevich Smirnoff in Moscow in 1864. Smirnoff no. 21 as it was known, became very popular with the Tsar's. 1200 bottles were delivered to the Winter palace in 1894. As a result, Smirnoff earned the title "Purveyors to the Imperial Russian Court". The brand has received many international awards. Four times Smirnoff distillery received the Russian government's seal of approval the right to depict the Russian state's coat of arms on bottles and labels hence the four small emblems in the logo. The Smirnoff brand was named the best vodka by the New York Times in January 2005, after beating 20 other vodka brands around the world.