The Esterkin family and the Shustov vodka distillery, St. Petersburg

[Thisbe]

Hi - I'm interested in finding more information on my great grandfather, Ilya (Ewel) Esterkin who owned the Shustov vodka distillery in St. Petersburg - up until 1918. The family lived on Nevsky Prospect - and Ilya was taken hostage and put in prison when a remote cousin, Leonid Kannegisser assassinated Uritsky, the Bolshevik head of the secret police in August 1918. Ilya was a member of the Discount Committee of the Stock Exchange. He represented the Discount Committee of Brewers. Gerasimov, the general secretary of the Trade Union of Food and Drink organised safe passage for the family out of Russia in 1918. I believe the Shustov vodka distillery was nationalised in 1926.

[naptos]

Hi there

I got interested in your story and decided to check the info. "Shustov vodka" originated in Moscow in 1860s and had distilleries in Moscow, Erevan and Odessa.  The connection with St Petersburg is through the fact that "Shustov vodka" was an official supplier to the Imperial Court.   1917 St Petersburg address book lists one of Shustov brothers as a "Supplier".  This book also lists your ancestor.  Yes - his full name, address and business.  He was selling kvas and mineral water.  I checked the St Petersburg archive and there is a personal record for your ancestor.  If interested contact me through profile and I will send you the links.

[cranewoods]

This may or may not help, but I have a museum exhibit of 1909 Russian photographs titled "Empire and Empathy - vintage photographs of Russia" taken by my great-grandfather, Andrew Murray Howe II, while showing US racehorses at the Imperial Trotting Club. One of the photos is a great shot of a group of "human billboards" advertising Shoustov vodka by walking together in a straight line in front of the Kremlin.

[Nigel Esterkin]

Can anyone supply me with the links to the archives of the Shustov Brewery St Petersburg and the connection with Ilya Esterkin who worked there?