Black Death (Brand)
Black Death is a spirits and tobacco brand whose licensed products are produced and sold by various manufacturers in various countries. Unlike most other brands, Black Death places little emphasis on public relations; For example, there is neither an official website nor a shop that offers all the products of this brand.
history
The foundation stone was laid in 1906 when the Sigurdsson family first produced a spirit under the name " svarti dortði " ( Icelandic for "black death"). The following 80 years remained quiet, it was not until 1987 that the brand (meanwhile marketed under the now known name "Black Death") became known to a wider public when the Black Death Vodka surprisingly won the gold medal of the " International Wine and Spirit Competition " .
A first setback came in 1990 when the American Football League banned the Black Death-sponsored Scarborough Football Club t-shirts labeled Black Death Vodka - Drink in Peace .
In 1992 the brand was confronted with further problems when the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) banned the sale of Black Death Vodka, now produced in Belgium, in the United States. According to Time magazine, the official reason was the misleading advertising with which the manufacturer would advertise the spirit as a poison and epidemic, although you actually only get vodka.
"[The ATF] is blocking the liquor on grounds of misleading advertising, since the brand seems to promise poison and plague but delivers only vodka."
The then American distributor sued the decision and won in court in October 1992, since then Black Death has been legal again in the USA.
In the course of this, the brand revised the design and logo in 1992 and now showed the now known skull with a cylinder (or headgear that varies depending on the type of spirit). Due to the comprehensive change in appearance and advertising such as a wooden coffin, the displeasure of the ATF was again drawn, which now complained about the alleged disdain for official warnings for alcohol consumption; a renewed ban did not follow.
Although the brand was still on the upswing - it sold 120 million bottles and cans annually in 70 countries worldwide and, according to British manufacturer G&J Greenall, has won 27 medals from the International Wine and Spirit Association since 1990 - it remained difficult to get information about the brand to get their products and sales channels, which also amazed Saul “Slash” Hudson , guitarist of the band “ Guns N 'Roses ” and the face of Black Death at the time: “Black Death paid me a bunch of money to endorse them and then disappeared . ” ("Black Death paid me a ton of money to support them and then they just disappeared.")
In May 2005, Greenall was fined £ 2 million in England for the illegal distribution of Black Death Vodka, five months later the next disaster occurred when a fire broke out in the distillery in October that destroyed large parts of the factory.
today
Although quite a few merchandising products were brought out (lighters, T-shirts, ballpoint pens and even a small wooden coffin in which the Black Death Vodka was sold for a short time), the brand continues to remain hidden. Inquiries to the manufacturers are not answered, Black Death is not mentioned on their homepage and the products themselves are difficult to find. The few internet retailers that offer Black Death spirits are mostly unable to deliver them; the prices for the available bottles fluctuate greatly due to the low supply and sometimes differ by more than twice as much from other offers. The individual manufacturers are or were among others: G + J Greenall (Vodka, Gin & Tequila), Oliver & Company (Rum), Kentucky Supreme Destilling Company (Bourbon), Eucario Gonzalez (Tequila) & Consolidated European Blands LTD (Cigarettes & Tobacco).
Litigation between Black Death & Death Cigarettes
For a long time Black Death only produced spirits. Meanwhile, the cigarette brand " Death " was able to establish itself in England , offering cigarettes made without additives and also showing a (different-looking) skull and crossbones on its boxes. When the cigarette company wanted to protect its brand and entered the American market, Black Death filed a lawsuit, stating that it also wanted to expand its product range to include cigarettes. The court now had to deal with the question of whether cigarettes represent a “natural extension of the range”. This was answered in the affirmative and justified by the fact that alcohol and cigarettes use the same distribution channels and there is a likelihood that customers will associate the “Death” cigarettes with the “Black Death” brand. Since "Black Death" as a brand existed longer than "Death", Death was ordered to destroy all cigarettes that had already been produced.
Known products
alcohol
Black Death Vodka (40% Vol from England or 37.5% Vol from Belgium)
Black Death Rum (Premium Light, Premium Dark & Premium Dark 7 Years old, each 38% Vol from the Dominican Republic)
Black Death Gin (40% Vol from England)
Black Death Tequila (Silver & Gold, each with 38 or 40% Vol from Mexico or England)
Black Death Bourbon (40% Vol from Kentucky, USA)
Black Death Icelandic Schnapps (40% Vol from Iceland)
Black Death Beer (12% Vol strong beer from Czech Republic)
Black Death Beer (7% Vol beer from Iceland)
Black Death Premium Export Beer (beer from Great Britain)
Most spirits are available as 70 cl and 1 liter bottles, the beer was bottled in common 0.33 l bottles. Depending on the manufacturer, they differ considerably in taste and appearance. For example, there are at least three versions of Silver Tequila: an English version with 40% vol, a Mexican with 38% vol and a Mexican with 40% vol. The Black Death Vodka is probably the only spirit that was also bottled in cans .
Tobacco products
Black Death cigarettes (made in the EEC and the USA)
Black Death tobacco (made in the EEC, distributed almost exclusively in Holland)
Black Death rolling paper (made in the EEC)
Originally, a skull was printed as a logo on the cigarettes similar to the “Death” brand; however, this has been abandoned, so that the cigarettes produced today are completely unprinted.
It is unclear which products are still being produced today. For example, while cigarette paper is quite easy to find, it will be very difficult to find tobacco or beer.
supporting documents
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from October 11, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,975264,00.html
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 13, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,310210,00.html
- ↑ http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/misc/chat.htm
- ↑ - ( Memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.rum.cz/galery/eur/be/bruggeman
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from March 21, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.vifilfell.is/?i=200&expand=173-179-200
- ↑ http://canmuseum.com/Detail.aspx?CanID=12388&Member=1
- ↑ http://www.tequila.net/tequila_reviews/joven_-_mixtos/black_death_tequila_silver.html ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 13, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
