Sir Rod Stewart Wins Complaint Against Wolfie’s Whisky
The whisky brand co-funded by legendary rockstar Sir Rod Stewart came under fire recently when a concerned citizen filed a complaint against the spirit. The Independent Complaint Panel (ICP) ruled in favor of the singer’s whisky brand. The ruling frees Wolfie’s Whisky of all possible violations of liquor standards.
In Wolfie’s Whisky, a brand co-founded by the rocker last year, he poses wearing a top hat and a playing card along the rim with a winking wolf.
Wolfie’s Whisky Before the Independent Complaint Panel
The complaint against Wolfie’s Whisky was struck down by the panel, however, with Chair of the Independent Complaints Panel, Rachel Childs saying of the decision: “It’s vitally important under the Code that producers ensure their products do not have particular appeal to under-18s, or encourage bravado or irresponsible consumption.
“In this case, the Panel concluded the cartoon wolf was presented in a way which created separation from contemporary children’s cartoons and, combined with other elements on the packaging which were typical of spirit products, did not have particular appeal to under-18s.”
Also, Stewart’s spirit brand was cited in the complaint as an example of a spirit brand that used the word “rascal” on its packaging to encourage bravado in violation of Code rule 3.2(b) as well as irresponsible consumption in violation of Code rule 3.2(f).
In the end, the ICP ruled that it wasn’t inherently irresponsible to collaborate with the project, and the term “rascal” only referred to mischievous characteristics, not a call to action.
Fellow co-founder of Wolfie’s Whisky, Duncan Frew, told Portman Group: “We’ve taken great care while building every element of the Wolfie’s Whisky brand over the last two years.
“Having worked closely with the Portman Group to ensure our marketing and branding is on the right side of the Group’s guidelines, we are pleased with the outcome of this situation.”