It comes after a complaint was filed and upheld by Portman Group’s Independent Complaints Panel by a member of the public. Coldiretti, the association of agricultural entrepreneurs and farmers in Italy, along with Fileria Italia, an agriculture and industry alliance, condemned Cosa Nostra whisky and other products which use mafia imagery last week. The Herald found that Cosa Nostra was produced by a group called Bartex Wine & Spirits based in Poland, from a whisky named Glen Gate which is sold in the Eastern European country. To be labelled Scotch, the whisky must have been matured for at least three years in oak casks, have a minimum alcoholic strength by volume of 40 per cent, be produced at a distillery in Scotland from water and malted barley and contain no added substances outside water and caramel colouring.

Nicola Williams, chair of the Independent Complaints Panel, said: “In light of rising gun crime in the UK, it is deeply irresponsible of an alcohol producer to glamorise firearms and market a product in this form. There were multiple and clear signs this product was in direct breach of the Code and unfortunately follows a complaint for a similar product by the same producer which the Panel upheld in 2014. The complaint was upheld by the Portman Group’s Independent Complaints Panel, resulting in the most severe sanction as a result of the producer’s failure to comply. In April this year, the Portman Group upheld a complaint against Engine Organic Gin for claiming to have therapeutic qualities.Regardless of whether the Service offers the functionality to contribute, you are solely responsible and liable for any content and information that you create, upload, post, publish, link to, duplicate, transmit, record, display or otherwise make available on the Service or to other Members, such as chat messages, text messages, videos, audio, audio recordings, music, pictures, photographs, text and any other information or materials, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted (“Contributions”). Commenting on the decision, the Chair of the Independent Complaints Panel, Nicola Williams, said: “In light of rising gun crime in the UK, it is deeply irresponsible of an alcohol producer to glamorise firearms and market a product in this form. There were multiple and clear signs this product was in direct breach of the Code and unfortunately follows a complaint for a similar product by the same producer which the Panel upheld in 2014. I hope Bartex Bartol takes note that such products are completely unacceptable.” If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, the remainder of the Terms shall continue in full force and effect. We may sell, license, transfer, assign or in any other way dispose of the Service (including Members) to any third party without any notification to you, e.g. (but without limitation) in connection with any reorganization, restructuring, merger or sale, or other transfer of assets. You are responsible for all activities through your account. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide to us in relation to your account, and for updating it where necessary. You are not allowed to create multiple accounts. We may terminate or temporarily suspend your account to protect you, ourselves or our partners from (suspected) identity theft or other (suspected) fraudulent (e.g. false, misleading, deceptive) activity. You have the obligation to keep your login credentials confidential. You shall not authorize any others to use or access your account.

The U.S. has its own, graver issues with gun-related violence. According to Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 375 mass shootings in the U.S. this year. You don’t need to be Al Capone to realise that a bottle designed in the shape of a Thompson submachine gun and a product named after a well-known Mafia faction were going to fall foul of the Group’s code of practice, which takes a dim view of anything that glamourises violence and criminal activity. Unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise, your use of and membership to the Service are exclusively governed by Dutch law. We shall first try to settle any dispute over a dram of whisky. Disputes that cannot be settled over multiple drams of whisky shall be solely submitted to the court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise. Our Service is an online platform which provides Members with information (e.g. bottle facts, market-indices, market values and prices) on (mostly) whisky and allows Members to add information to the platform. We do not sell, nor does the Service provide any option to buy, any alcoholic products. Gun violence has been on the rise in the U.K. According to an article in The Guardian that was published in September, two out of three police force divisions in England and Wales are experiencing a rise in gun crime. Twenty-nine of London’s total 43 police force jurisdictions have seen an increase in gun crime, and in eight jurisdictions it has more than doubled.

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Nicola Williams, the chair of Portman Group’s Independent Complaints Panel had some thoughts about the producer’s decision to promote firearms. A spokesperson for the Scotch Whisky Association said: “The Scotch Whisky industry takes its commitment to responsible marketing extremely seriously, and the marketing of products which celebrate violence, aggression or illegal behaviour is not something we would ever condone. The product is under investigation by both our Legal and Alcohol Policy teams.”

Commenting on the decision, the Chair of the Independent Complaints Panel, Nicola Williams, said: “In light of rising gun crime in the UK, it is deeply irresponsible of an alcohol producer to glamorise firearms and market a product in this form. It was one of only seven issued between 2015 and 2020 and is the most serious sanciton the Portman Group can apply. Furthermore, in July 2022, vodka brand Jatt Life cancelled its sponsorship of The Cannon Run after a complaint was upheld over its failure to promote responsible drinking during the driving event. No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service. Commenting on the Cosa Nostra decision, the Chair of the Portman Group’s Independent Complaints Panel, Nicola Williams, said: “In light of rising gun crime in the UK, it is deeply irresponsible of an alcohol producer to glamorise firearms and market a product in this form.It also said those who were directly affected by the actions of Cosa Nostra would consider the bottle seriously offensive.