Blackeye Gin clears name in ‘intentional violence’ dispute
A complaint made against Blackeye London Dry Gin, founded by England rugby players Mike Tindall and James Haskell, has been dismissed.
A complaint was issued to The Portman Group by a member of the public, who claimed the name could be associated with violence and aggression.
The complaint came under 3.2(b) of the Code, where ‘A drink, its packaging and any promotional material or activity should not in any direct or indirect way suggest any association with bravado, or with violent, aggressive, dangerous, anti-social or illegal behaviour’.
In response, the alcohol industry’s Independent Complaints Panel (ICP) assessed the name ‘Blackeye Gin’ and found it could be interpreted in several ways.
The panel noted that while the ‘black eye’ injury could be the result of a violent attack, the injury can also come from contact sports or other unintentional means, and therefore the name alone isn’t enough to create an association with intentional violence and aggression.
Assessing the packaging, the panel didn’t find any aggression-associated imagery on the front label, or depictions of injury, while on the back, the references to rugby, rugby ball imagery and the Blackeye Rugby Fund ‘provided further context’ to the name Blackeye.
The panel also took into account the brand’s defence that it was a “purpose-led brand with a mission to address the financial and medical challenges faced by rugby players”.
The brand stated that this was the first complaint it had received about the product and no other complaints had been lodged concerning compliance with the Code.
The brand was founded in 2023 by Tindall, Haskell and their The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast co-host, television presenter Alex Payne, with £1.50 from each bottle sold going towards the brand’s Blackeye Rugby Fund in three areas: research, risk, and recovery.
The panel concluded that the overall impression of the product explicitly linked to rugby, a rules-based contact sport, and while it could result in injury, injuries did not directly link to intentional violence.
As a result, the complaint was not upheld.
Rachel Childs, chair of the ICP, said: “It’s vitally important under the Code that producers ensure their products do not make any link to bravado, or with violent, aggressive, dangerous, anti-social or illegal behaviour.
“In this instance, the panel concluded that the packaging of Blackeye London Dry Gin, although referencing a common sporting injury, did not make a link with intentional aggression or violence and therefore did not fall foul of the Code. The panel did not uphold the complaint.”
Last week the panel dismissed a complaint against Glenmorangie, which had accused the Scotch brand of appealing to under-18s with its A Tale of Ice Cream whisky.
In January, the Portman Group launched a ‘significant’ audit to regulate alcohol marketing, which will see it assess 500 alcoholic drinks in Great Britain.
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