The founder of Stoli Group, Yuri Shefler, has been overseeing the day-to-day operations of the company following the departure of its CEO last year, Global Drinks Intel understands.
Shefler, who has been exiled from Russia since 2002, became interim CEO in July after Chris Caldwell left the Stoli vodka brand owner. Caldwell, who had been with the Luxembourg-headquartered company for five years, the last two of which were as CEO, confirmed the changes to Global Drinks Intel today (18 February), and announced the formation of advisory & consulting business FiveXR, also based in Luxembourg, earlier this week.
While Caldwell’s promotion from CFO to CEO in July 2023 warranted a formal announcement from Stoli Group, no such statement was released in July last year detailing who had replaced him at the helm of the business.
Shefler took over in mid-2025, although it is not clear whether he is still CEO today. Nobody was immediately available at Stoli Group to provide clarification.
The development is the latest to indicate turbulence among Shefler’s alcohol-related businesses in recent weeks. In mid-January, the Stoli Group USA and Kentucky Owl American whiskey divisions were declared bankrupt. At the time, the wider group said that the rest of its operations both outside of and inside the US “continue to operate normally”. However, Amber Latvijas balzams, which is part of Stoli sister Amber Beverage Group, was placed in legal protection a couple of weeks later, pending a “financial restructuring”.
Amber Beverage Group, which is part-listed but majority held by Shefler, was itself confirmed to be in default of a set of financial notes earlier this week.
As well as the Stoli vodka brand, which Amber handles the bulk of the distribution of, Stoli Group also owns the Bayou rum, Cenote tequila and Tulchan gin brands. Amber, meanwhile, controls the Moskovskaya vodka, Rooster Rojo and Kah tequilas and The Irishman and Writers’ Tears Irish whiskey marks.
On the wine side, Stoli Group’s Tenute del Mondo division hit the headlines in 2021 when it bought Angelina Jolie’s holding in Provence rose maker Château Miraval, to the chagrin of Jolie’s ex-husband and Miraval co-owner, Brad Pitt. The matter escalated markedly almost two years ago after Miraval agreed a distribution deal in France and the US with rival Campari Group.
