‘Find a way to regulate your marketing or we’ll regulate you’ was the threat made by the government to the UK alcohol industry. Thus, Portman Group was born. However, it hasn’t always been though an easy ride. 

If ever there was an organisation stuck between a rock and a hard place, it is Portman Group. A body created and funded by the alcohol industry to regulate its own marketing, it walks a balancing act between the government on one side threatening to become the regulator if the industry doesn’t act like adults, and distillers and brewers on the other side who want to push the marketing creativity envelope in regards to beverage names and packaging. 

Craft brewers in particular see Portman Group as killjoys and part of the ‘Nanny State’. Some craft distillers and brewers look at how big alcohol finances Portman Group and believe that it exists to only promote their own agenda – which means making life as hard as possible for those who just want to have a bit of fun in their marketing.

And yes, if you do decide to name your gin something like the recent Fok Hing Gin and someone raises a complaint to Portman Group, expect some fallout coming your way. 

But what few seem to realise is it does a lot more for the industry than making sure smiling clowns aren’t put on labels. If you go to Portman Group’s website, you’ll see that over the years a considerable amount of its energy is spent challenging the media and NGOs who cherry-pick data or statistics against the industry.

In today’s episode, recorded in part from the recent Distillers Lectures in London, we hear from Matt Lambert, Portman Group’s new chief executive.