Expansion of the Product Classifier
The Federal Service for Alcohol and Tobacco Market Control (Rosalkogoltabakkontrol) has officially notified importers and manufacturers about a scheduled update to the directories of the Unified State Automated Information System (EGAIS). The changes are driven by an order from the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, which introduced new standards to the Russian Classification of Products by Economic Activities (OKPD2).

The updated nomenclature, which came into effect in the spring of 2026, includes several specific categories of hard spirits:

• Russian whiskey and whiskey distillates.
• Rum-based alcoholic beverages.
• Local traditional drinks (samogon, khrenovukha, sbiten).

Rules for Working with New Codes
The state agency clarified the transition mechanism to the new accounting standards to prevent logistical disruptions and issues with accompanying documentation.

"The internal EGAIS product type code 237 'Whiskey' remains valid. Notifications of the start of circulation of alcoholic beverages in the Russian Federation containing the old OKPD2 code 11.01.10.180 do not need to be canceled," explained representatives of Rosalkogoltabakkontrol.

However, to register new product batches in the "Whiskey" category, companies must exclusively use the updated code — 11.01.10.181. For existing declarations with old codings, the regulator permits the submission of corrective notifications.

Adaptation for International Business
For Chinese alcohol producers and exporters supplying spirits to the Russian market (including Asian distillates and rum-based beverages), this update requires close attention to documentation. Partners from the PRC must synchronize operations with their Russian distributors and ensure that importers correctly apply the updated classifiers when establishing new contracts. Technical discrepancies between codes in customs declarations and the EGAIS system can lead to the blocking of alcohol shipments at the customs control stage.