Finlandia is a brand of vodka produced in Finland. It is made from barley distilled into a neutral spirit in the village of Koskenkorva in Ilmajoki, operated by Finland's Altia Corporation. The distilled alcohol is then transported to a production facility in the village of Rajamäki in Nurmijärvi, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Helsinki. In Rajamäki, the spirit is blended with glacial water, flavored (except for the classic non-flavored edition, 101 and Platinum), and bottled. The Finlandia brand was established in 1970 by Alko, Finland's state-owned alcoholic beverage company. It is now owned by the Brown–Forman Corporation. Finlandia vodka is distributed in 135 countries and is widely associated with Finland on the international market. Flavors include cranberry (since 1994), lime (1999), mango (2004), red berry (2004), wild berries (2005), grapefruit (2006), tangerine (2009), and blackcurrant (2009). History The distillery that produces Finlandia vodka was founded in 1888 by Dr. Wilhelm Juslin next to the glacial spring in the small Finnish village of Rajamäki in the Nurmijärvi parish. Today, a facility at that same historic location still manufactures and packages Finlandia. In 1920, after the passage of the alcohol Prohibition Act in Finland, the Rajamäki distillery was bought by the Finnish state to secure an alcohol supply for pharmacies and for other non-beverage purposes. When the Prohibition Act was lifted in 1932, the state took over exclusive control of vodka production. In 1970, Alko, the state-owned alcoholic beverage company, established the Finlandia vodka brand name. A year later the Finlandia brand became the first Nordic vodka sold in the United States, as well as the first imported vodka brand there classified in a premium category. In 1975, a new alcoholic beverage plant was constructed at the Rajamäki location in Finland, and the distilling operation was centralized at the Koskenkorva facility in 1987. In 2000, the private U.S.-based Brown-Forman Corporation acquired 45% of Finlandia Vodka Worldwide, with the state-owned Altia Group, a successor of Alko's production division, retaining 55% ownership. Two years later Brown-Forman acquired an additional 35% stake in Finlandia Vodka. In 2004, Brown-Forman acquired the remaining 20% of Finlandia Vodka and assumed 100% ownership in the brand. In 2016, Bloomberg reported Brown-Forman was considering a sale of Finlandia Vodka which was not commented on by the company, and the brand was not sold. Production Finlandia vodka is produced from Finnish-grown six-row barley and pure glacial spring water. At