Business

Booze Chief Flips Over Polygamy Vodka

One of these days a government politico is gonna come out and say, “Sorry. I screwed up and I was wrong about that.”

It apparently ain’t happening at the Idaho Liquor Dispensary. The booze office was threatened with a couple of lawsuits in federal court for banning “Five Wives” vodka, so they blinked.

In a Wednesday news release, state Liquor Division Director Jeff Anderson announced the division will immediately begin accepting special order request for the Ogden, Utah-made product, which he previously had declined to carry, in part because the agency deemed the brand offensive to the state’s substantial Mormon population.

“In a shared desire to avoid unnecessary litigation costs to Ogden’s Own Distillery and the people of Idaho, today we have informed the makers of ‘Five Wives’ vodka that we will immediately begin processing special order requests for both on-premise licensees and retail customers,” Anderson said. The product may be ordered at any Idaho liquor store.

The guy was wrong to bring the Mormons into the deal at all–and then claim he reversed himself to save legal expenses. If he was right to declare the product offensive to Mormons–who officially banned polygamy a century ago–he should defend his decision in court.

The truth is, the ban was an ill considered move and the media fallout has embarrassed the Booze Chief and the people of Idaho. He looks worse running from a threatened suit than pulling up his big boy pants and saying, “my position on that subject has evolved.”

Comments & Discussion

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  1. Well, why not? If we’re all drunk we might not notice all the rest of the corruption! Actually, its a win for the people who don’t want, don’t need, and didn’t vote for, big brother. Thank you BG for following the story and keeping us posted. By the way, did you know that Jeff Anderson is actually the HMFWIC of the LOTTERY commission and is filling as booze boss?

  2. Filling in until they can find another political appointee? When actual qualifications don’t matter, it should be easy to find a good ole boy.

  3. BG where is the sign up sheet for the BG pot luck, I would expect vodka, tomato juice, orange juice, olives to be on the list among other things.

  4. Diane Sower
    Jun 7, 2012, 9:14 am

    I’m not a drinker, and don’t see much purpose in it, but I think they jumped the gun on the Five Wives thing. There are scads of people in Idaho who are practicing polygamists, not affiliated with the church. And wouldn’t the only people offended be the ones practicing “The Principle?” Why would it bother routine Mormons? After all, they do have in their doctrine polygamy after death.

  5. I think BG needs to take a trip to the Urban Dictionary to decipher that abbreviation from Dave.

  6. I think he did the right thing. Bad idea. When it came out, and litigation threatened, he buckled… saving the STATE having to defend against the litigation.

  7. sam the sham
    Jun 21, 2012, 3:36 am

    At the time I did wonder if this was a set up to help bring free advertising to a Utah based product. It did bring fast national attention to a cheap vodka.
    Was this a mistake?

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