OTS p9 news Jul09.qxp 23/06/2009 09:46 Page 9
news
Drinkaware launches new identity
What’s brewing
at Holyrood?
Alcohol charity Drinkaware has revealed a new identity. The
By Scottish Beer and Pub
independent charity’s new brand and strapline, ‘for the facts’, reinforces
Association chief executive
Drinkaware as an evidence-based organisation that helps dispel myths Patrick Browne.
and present the honest facts about alcohol. Formed in 2007,
Drinkaware provides consumers with information to make informed
It seems like a long time since the process of licensing reform
decisions about the effects of alcohol on their lives and lifestyles.
began in Scotland in 2001 with the establishment of the
Chris Sorek, CEO of Drinkaware, says: “Alcohol has been around for
Nicholson Committee. Some of us involved in licensing reform
thousands of years but there is still a world of myths and unknown
can even remember the political pressure exerted by MSPs like
facts surrounding it. Not everyone needs to know when the first beer
former Liberal Democrat MSP Donald Gorrie, which prompted
recipe was produced or how many bubbles there are in a bottle of
the establishment of the Nicholson Committee in the first place.
champagne, but it is important that people know how alcohol can
And so here we are eight years
affect their lifestyle and health.”
later, with just a few weeks until
Drinkaware says the strategy is based on feedback that indicated
“Some boards
the new regime comes into effect,
people don’t want nagged or lectured about how much they drink.
have turned what
and still there are major questions
“They want relevant and useful information so they can make their own should have been
hanging over the process and
decisions about what is right for them. Drinkaware is for the facts
a relatively
whether it can be introduced on 1
about alcohol – and that includes the quirky ones,” added Chris.
September.
straightforward
Hopefully by now you will
admin process
Ops boss for Brewdog
have gotten your pub’s new
into something
Scottish beer company BrewDog has appointed Des Mulcahy, Premises Licence, although some
that gives
founder of the highly acclaimed Beer Exposed festival, as its UK licensing boards have still to mindless
operations manager – a newly created position at the consider some applications. A
bureaucracy a
Fraserburgh-based company. smaller number of businesses
bad name.”
Australian Des joins BrewDog co-founders James Watt and appear to have been granted, let
Martin Dickie, and UK sales & trade marketing manager Richard alone issued, with their personal licences applications allowing
McLelland at a crucial them to designate their premises manager and therefore to trade
time, as the company legally after transition day. But the fact that here we are with
celebrates its two year these fundamental processing issues still hanging over licensing
anniversary and pushes on transition suggests that something pretty fundamental has gone
with aggressive expansion wrong somewhere.
plans which will see The 2005 Licensing Act hasn’t turned out to be what
production soar from two Nicholson promised. The trade was promised less bureaucracy
million bottles a year to 25 and costs and greater flexibility in exchange for greater
Des Mulcahy.
million. responsibility on issues like staff training, licensing standards
officers and new offences. Instead, the industry has spent literally
tens of millions of pounds in fees alone to basically not change
Pub charity hailed success
very much. It would appear that the costs of the licensing process
going forward will be three or four times what the trade used to
PubAid, the industry wide monies raised on
pay with no sign of the promised costs savings.
initiative, which aims to counter www.pubaid.com.
Some boards, by no means all, have turned what should have
negative and misleading news A spokesperson for PubAid
been a straightforward administrative process into something
stories about the licensed retail said: “We know that this is just
which gives mindless bureaucracy a bad name.
sector, continues to go from the tip of the iceberg, with almost
And recently the Scottish Government has been standing on
strength to strength with pubs every pub in the country raising
the sidelines declining to get involved and instead repeating the
donating £510,874 to charities, money for their chosen charity,
mantra about decisions being made ‘locally’ or being resolved ‘in
less than six months since its we are certain this figure will
the courts’. Not satisfactory given that they must have some idea
launch. rocket as the initiative continues
about what was intended by their own legislation?
More than 200 pubs from to gain momentum and more
Thanks should go to those boards which have tried to make
across the UK have registered licensees register their pubs
the new regime work with common sense, but when the dust has
their charitable activities and the charitable donations.”
settled there needs to be a calling to account of those other
boards and others involved in the process who carried on
Further expansion for Inver House
regardless with poorly drafted and worded legislation which in
some respects has been administered so poorly that it is
Inver House Distillers has opened Regional Selective Assistance
tantamount to pure and simple maladministration.
its new bottling plant at the grant from the Scottish
It is said that success has many fathers and failure is an
company’s headquarters in Government. The investment
orphan. I suspect that whatever happens on 1 September very
Airdrie. The bottling hall which is continues International Beverage’s
few people, let alone our politicians, will want to claim any
a £1m investment for the conviction in having the Scottish
credit, let alone responsibility, for licensing reform in Scotland.
company will create 10 full time base as its hub of operating and
Indeed, they will probably want to forget it as quickly as possible.
jobs and was set up with marketing excellence.
www.55north.com · july 2009 · ots · 9 ·
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