Five Wives Vodka rejected by Idaho Liquor Division | News

Though the alcohol industry is no stranger to risky product names and advertising, sometimes people and even state governments, think they go too far. Five Wives Vodka, made by Ogden's Own Distillery in Utah, has been rejected in Idaho. Besides the rhyming title, the bottle's label features a black and white drawing of five young women wearing nineteenth century dresses holding kittens.

The liquor itself was never sold in any store in Idaho because Ogden's Own request for distribution was rejected. When we spoke to the head of the Liquor Division, Jefferey Anderson, he said that the liquor was never banned because it was never sold.

In a letter sent to the distributor, Elite Spirits of Boise, from the Idaho State Liquor Division, the state said their reason for the ban was their "social responsibility" to their citizens included preventing distribution of products marketed "...in poor taste with respect to our citizens." The director of the Liquor Division, Jefferey Anderson, closed the letter by stating that a "prominent segment" of the population would potentially be offended.

"We felt that the label was offensive to women and to members of the LDS Faith," Anderson said. "What I would like to know is what were they (Ogden's) were suggesting with their placement of the pussycats on the label."

The story has already garnered some national attention from media outlets including USA Today and the Huffington Post. In a press release emailed to the Huffington Post, vice president of marketing at Ogden's Own Distillery Steve Conlin, said, "We can only presume he means Mormons," referring to the "prominent segment" statement in the letter.

Ogden's Own has designed a "Free the Five Wives" t-shirt that features the ladies of their label behind bars and a "Banned in Idaho" text across the image. You can see the t-shirt on their website: www.ogdensown.com.