Bristol Dry Gin apologises for ‘insensitive’ tweet

Bristol Dry Gin has issued a second apology after posting an “insensitive” promotional tweet that used Donald Trump’s “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” response to the George Floyd protests.

Bristol Dry Gin’s tweet about its Turbo Island Edition faced backlash

On Monday (1 June), Bristol Dry Gin tweeted a picture of its Turbo Island Edition gin (75% ABV) and a flamed shot glass, with the caption: “When the looting starts the shooting starts. Voted No 1 gin by rioters for its complex botanical mix and high flammability. #gin #bristol #PartyParrot #burningbridges.”

“When the looting starts, the shooting starts” was first used by Miami police chief Walter Headley in 1967 who promised violent police retaliation in response to tackle riots in black neighbourhoods across Miami.

US president Donald Trump used the same term in a tweet on 29 May in response to protests across the US in response to the death of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis while in police custody. As a result, Twitter placed a public interest notice on Trump’s tweet as it violated the company’s policy on the glorification of violence.

Bristol Dry Gin received widespread backlash across Twitter for its tweet, with consumers calling out the company for capitalising on Floyd’s death.

After posting the tweet, Bristol Dry Gin issued an apology later that evening, which said: “We understand it is a very serious situation, which we should not have made light of. In no way do we condone any form of violence or racism, nor do we condone Donald Trump.”

It was followed days later by a second apology on Twitter yesterday (3 June), with the company pledging to review its social media use.

The tweet in full read: “We are genuinely sorry for causing offence with our insensitive tweet earlier this week. It was a misjudged attempt to make a joke about a serious situation. We got it very badly wrong.

“We fully understand that the events and outrage following George Floyd’s death are momentous and far reaching.

“All of us at the company are determined not to make a similar mistake again and we will be working hard to make a positive contribution.

“We will also be fully reviewing how we use social media. This will not happen again. We are truly sorry.”

‘Not a calculated publicity stunt’

In a statement, Bristol Dry Gin told The Spirits Business that it “did not foresee that something we tweeted – no matter how poorly chosen – would have such an impact”.

The firm said it was “extremely sorry to have upset people so far and wide, and also apologise to other businesses with associations to our brand, which have also had to deal with the fallout of our mistake”.

The statement continued: “We were nothing other than devastated about the negative impact we had. It was not a calculated publicity stunt.

“Unfortunately, we did not deal with the fallout from our tweet as well as we could either. We are a very small team and we were worried about making things worse.

“All of us at the company are determined not to make a similar mistake again and we will be working hard to make a positive contribution.”

This is not the first time Bristol Dry Gin has caused controversy on social media. In 2018, the English producer apologised for the launch of its Novichok Edition Vodka following the Wiltshire nerve agent scandal.