'Shakers' maker sours liquor body

By MARTIN JOHNSTON

A liquor company is facing pressure to re-write labels on some of its alcoholic milk drinks because of fears they will lure under-age drinkers.

The Alcohol Advisory Council is worried that youngsters could confuse "Shakers Mudslide" drinks, which are as strong as many wines, with milkshakes.

Its moves to modify the drink's packaging follows an outcry over similar products in Australia this week.

It also comes after pressure on the Government this year to return the legal drinking age from 18 to 20. Anti-liquor groups are alarmed by the surge in youth binge-boozing and evidence that drinking by boys aged 16 or 17 more than doubled between 1995 and 2000.

South Auckland-based Independent Liquor makes Shakers Mudslides. Sold in 700ml bottles costing about $10, these drinks are nearly 14 per cent alcohol, similar to many wines, and come in flavours including banana, strawberry and chocolate.

In a related line, the company has just started making 5 per cent alcohol Vodka Mudshakes, which come in 275ml bottles and sell for about $2.50.

The council has received no complaints about them, but after being shown the labels by the Herald, said it would contact Independent Liquor.

Council chief executive Mike MacAvoy said the Shakers Mudslide labels breached voluntary industry guidelines as they could have a special appeal to people under 18 - especially through their pictures of fruit - and could be confused with confectionary or soft drinks.

"It leads to confusion between milkshake or Shakers ... You have to go to the small print to find the word 'liqueur'," Dr MacAvoy said.

He would ask Independent to modify the labels to emphasise the alcoholic content.

But he did not object to the Vodka Mudshake labelling, in which the word "Vodka" was prominent. And he said other companies' alcoholic milk drinks, such as Kahlua and milk, were acceptable because they were clearly adult drinks.

But Independent's sales and marketing manager, Paul Everard, dismissed Dr MacAvoy's Mudslide concerns.

"It's quite clearly got 'alcohol' and 'liqueur' on the label," Mr Everard said.

He likened Independent's alcoholic milk lines to ready-to-drink Kahlua and milk, and Bailey's Irish Cream.

"There's all sorts of flavoured milk products that have been in the spirits arena for years."

Supermarket sales of Mudslide and Mudshake were banned as they contained spirits, said Mr Everard. The drinks were targeted at 18 to 30-year-olds and the company was not trying to attract younger people.

Mudslide had been exported to Australia and was now made there by a sister company, he said. The first consignment of Mudshake had been exported to Australia this week.

But Victorian Premier Steve Bracks this week threatened to ban alcoholic milk drinks if the backers of one such shot, Moo Joose, win a liquor licence for its sale. A New South Wales liquor official indicated a ban would be likely there too.

Victoria-based Wicked Holdings lost its initial bid for a Moo Joose licence but plans to appeal. It wants to market the sweet, 5.3 per cent alcohol drink, which has flavours such as Strawberry Rush and Banana Smash, under the slogan "Milk for all it's worth".

The Australian Drug Foundation said the product had an enormous capacity to increase binge-drinking among teenagers and children.