In an unsurprising move, booze industry regulators The Portman Group have condemned the sale of a mafia-themed whisky shaped like a machine gun.
Despite warnings about a similar product in 2014, Bartex Bartol released the Cosa Nostra product much to the dismay of the industry, who were alarmed at the "serious and widespread offence" which was likely to be caused.
The bottle - shaped like a Thompson (or 'Tommy') machine gun - created "a direct link between the drink and a dangerous weapon". Against the backdrop of rising gun crime in the UK, The Portman Group urged retailers to stop placing orders for the Cosa Nostra whisky.
This latest campaign to require The Portman Group's intervention is in particularly poor taste, but it does show the role of the regulator in improving the image and maintaining the integrity of the spirits industry as a whole.
Lighter-hearted campaigns which have fallen foul of the regular include those of Fok Hing Gin, Unshaven Maiden cider, Piggin' Drunk Ale and MixPixie's Prescription Gin - the latter being presented in a pharmaceutical style bottle with a 'suggested dosage' of "one swig before each exam".
