Tiny Rebel’s Cwtch ale could be set to disappear from shelves after the Portman Group issued a Retailer Alert Bulletin against the beer this morning.
The brew was found to be in breach of the alcohol watchdog’s code this week, when its Independent Complaints Panel ruled the packaging risked appealing to children – for the second time in three years.
The watchdog confirmed it would be issuing an RAB to retailers who stock the beer, requesting they stop selling it. The notice would also be given to local authorities and police.
Tiny Rebel, which worked with the Portman Group and claims to have splashed out in the realm of £30,000 rebranding the beer after the first complaint in 2017, said it would not change the packaging when news of the ruling broke this week.
However, defending the ruling, Portman Group CEO John Timothy said while Tiny Rebel had “significantly improved” the Cwtch can after the 2017 ruling, the brewer had been “advised to remove the teddy bear logo from the front of can and place it on the side or back of the packaging”.
“The panel has made clear that it does not believe it is appropriate to place such an image on the front of an alcoholic drink”, he told The Grocer.
Tiny Rebel CEO Bradley Cummings had said the brewer was “told by the Portman Group that the Cwtch artwork in question would not have been an issue if it was wrapped around a 330ml bottle instead of a 330ml can”.
However, Timothy insisted it “simply isn’t the case” that the “product would not have been in breach had it been in a bottle rather than a can”.
“The ICP has been clear in previous cases that it believes producers must work harder to demonstrate the alcoholic nature of a 330ml can, given the traditional association with soft drinks and the potential appeal, therefore, to under-18s.
“However, in this case, the panel has been clear that its decision relates to the positioning of the corporate logo alongside other visual cues such as the primary colours and choice of font.”
In response, Tiny Rebel’s Cummings claimed neither of the complaints to the Portman Group about Cwtch mentioned the bear on its packaging directly. “We believe that everything we do on our labelling and marketing conveys that Tiny Rebel products are alcoholic – we clearly display the beer style and abv on the front of our brands,” he said.
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