Zirkova
Canadian brand of Ukrainian vodka
Zirkova is a Canadian brand of vodka distilled in Zolotonosha, Ukraine, and headquartered in Oakville, Ontario. Established in 2005 by John and Katherine Vellinga, the company initially produced vodka under the Slava and Zirkova labels before discontinuing the former. Twice seeking funds through the Dragons' Den television series, the company was valued at CA$10 million by 2012. Zirkova experienced reduced sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zirkova began to donate profits to humanitarian projects in Ukraine; it also developed an Ontario-distilled product.
Several Zirkova products are sold, including Zirkova One for sipping and Zirkova Together for cocktails. Sales are primarily concentrated in Ontario through the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, though the product is also distributed in Western Canada.
History
Establishment
Zirkova ("starry", from the root зірка) was established by John and Katherine Vellinga, a couple who had met while studying engineering the University of Waterloo. John, born in Waterloo, Ontario, learned about vodka from Katherine's Ukrainian-Canadian family. The couple worked as consultants in Ukraine beginning in 1997 before returning to Canada in 2002.
“Zirkova” enters the record as canadian brand of Ukrainian vodka. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Zirkova, Canadian and brand can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q138846018. The first chronological checks are 2005, 2012, 2022 and 1997.
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This entry incorporates text from “Zirkova” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.