Posted on 02/09/2005 9:48:55 PM PST by teldon30
A British vodka named after the inventor of the AK47 assault rifle has come under fire.
Drinks rivals reckon the name suggests violence.
Kalashnikov Vodka was launched in September with the backing of 84-year-old Gen. Mikhail Kalashnikov, creator of the rifle that bears his name.
It is distilled in St. Petersburg, Russia, and imported to England by a British company, The Kalashnikov Joint Stock Vodka Co. (1947) PLC. Bottles of the product bear the Russian general's photo, and no image of the AK47.
The Portman Group, a body representing major drinks companies including Allied Domecq, Diageo and Interbrew, said the product breached its code of practice because the brand name "indirectly suggested an association with violent and dangerous behavior."
"UK consumers would associate the name Kalashnikov with a gun and many associate it specifically with the assault rifle invented by Gen. Kalashnikov - the AK47."
It asked retailers not to place further orders for Kalashnikov Vodka after April. The Portman Group does not have any legal powers but can report retailers to their local licensing authority.
The Kalashnikov Joint Stock Vodka Co. rejected the criticism.
"We're quite surprised by the decision because it is the name of the man and not the gun," managing director John Florey said.
"If you look at the product in detail there are no guns on it, only an image of the man. We don't feel it is promoting the AK47 in any way."
The product is sold through a small number of retailers in the London area. Gen. Kalashnikov, whose gun was adopted by the Red Army in 1947 and has sold in vast numbers around the world, is honorary chairman of The Kalashnikov Joint Stock Vodka Co.
Florey said he would investigate European legislation to see whether the Portman Group's decision amounted to a restriction on his ability to trade.
The vodka retails for about $US24 ($A31) for a 750-milliliter (22.5-fluid-ounce) bottle, and is available at several clubs throughout the British capital with a US release planned for sometime this year.
Kalashnikov, a former tank commander, designed the AK-47 assault rifle after being wounded in World War II, out of fear that the Germans were better equipped than their Allied foes. The Red Army adopted his design in 1947, with the weapon's short name meaning "Automatic gun of Kalashnikov, 1947."
The weapon went on to become the weapon of choice for both communist armies and many criminal and guerrilla groups worldwide. Some estimates say there are now 100 million AK-47s in existence.
Florey told The Associated Press that the vodka was named after Gen. Kalashnikov because "he's a national hero of Russia" and pointed out that he invented products other than the rifle, including camping equipment.
"We haven't called it AK47, we've named it after him," Florey said. "I don't think it promotes violence at all. The whole essence of the brand that Gen. Kalashnikov is promoting is friendship."
AP
I mean besides an AK.
I'll take a shot.
Which one, the AK-47 or the KV-05?
Ha, that was pretty good, Ha.
Don't everyone laugh at once.
don't worry.......I am really holding my laughter in...
Entrenching tool?
I'll bite........tell us....
Where does that leave Colt 45?
BTTT
I think you got it.
We'll see, I guess.
Wasn't John Browning the main designer on the US Army Colt .45?
Oh yeah, they just had to slip that in there.
Is it 7.62x39 proof?
*snrk* Good one...
What I would call a field mess kit...a few other odds and ends. The Kalashnikov vodka is nothing new. I have a gift set with a bottle of Kalashnikov vodka and two shot glasses sitting on my headboard since November 2001.
They were acquired in Mikhail K's retirement hometown of Izhevsk, capital of the republic of Udmurtiya, Russia. It is where the AK-47's and other firearms - including sporting rifles, shotguns, field artillery, mortars etc...are manufactured. They have the world's largest, longest indoor artillery testing range adjacent to the factory...
Dr. Kalashnikov has been a member of the NRA for years now. HISTORY Ch. did a good story on him. His meeting with Eugene Stoner was most interesting.
PING!
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