Imperial Brands introduced Sobieski vodka to the US market in 2007, and by 2011 it had set a new record for reaching 1 million cases faster than any vodka brand before it. Despite Sobieski's success in the US, Imperial Brands' parent company Belvedere SA struggled with financial issues for the majority of 2012, which impacted the brand's performance into 2013. But Belvedere managed to recover after a debt-for-equity swap that ended a five-year legal battle between the company and its creditors (see WSD 03-21-2013). WSD recently met with the Imperial Brands team to discuss the challenges they faced during that time and where the company is headed now.