We are saddened to announce that inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and SKYY® Vodka inventor Maurice Kanbar passed away on August 20, 2022, in San Francisco. The Campari Group family and spirits community at large has lost one of its most talented, friendly, and dedicated members, who will never be replaced. Maurice revolutionized the US vodka industry in 1992 when he introduced SKYY, with its advanced production process and eye-catching blue bottle, unwittingly kicking off the “style spirit” movement in America. Maurice went on to create an array of groundbreaking new inventions, accumulating over 50 patents. Among his many achievements was developing a method to quadruple distill the vodka with American grains, resulting in an incredibly smooth vodka- one that made the perfect martini. To name his new invention, he need look no further than out his eighth-floor window at the sky over the San Francisco Bay on one brilliantly bright day. The extra “Y” was added to make it unique and trademarkable. In lieu of flowers, the Kanbar family requests that donations be made in his memory to a hospice organization of your choice or to the Hebrew Immigration Aid Society. #RememberingMauriceKanbar