Portman Group names and shames

Published: 23 July, 2008

Six complaints made by the public concerning drinks products were upheld last year by The Portman Group, the organisation that promotes responsible drinking and marketing.
In its annual report, the group's chairman, former Met Police Commissioner Lord Condon, said: Unlike last year, when the theme of "sexual success" dominated the complaints, this year saw a return to a more eclectic mix of complaints against a wider range of provisions to the Code [of Practice].'

Products found in breach of the Code included Kalashnikov vodka, which the group's panel decided indirectly suggested an association with violent and dangerous behaviour'; Mickey Finn's Spiked Sour Apple & Moonshine Schnapps, likely

to have a particular appeal to under-18s'; the website for Dooley's toffee liqueur, which featured cocktail recipes entitled Dooley's With Head', A Kick in the Dooley's', and Sticky Nuts', suggest[ing] an indirect association with sexual success', according to the panel; and Rocket Fuel vodka - an unacceptable choice of name for an alcoholic drink', despite the producer's claim that a more innocuous name would be irresponsible promotion of the vodka product, given its alcoholic strength'.

Lord Condon is to step down as Portman Group chairman. Condon, who has been chairman since December 2001, will quit in December this year, completing his five-year stint in the job.

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