– If one interprets it very strictly, then we are hardly allowed to say that we exist, says Roar Larsen. He is the day-to-day manager at Myken Distilleri, on the island of Myken, far out in the sea on the coast of Helgeland. The distillery was started by a Venetian gang in 2014. They bought a closed fish farm and ordered production equipment from Portugal. Myken has the world’s first Arctic whiskey distillery. The company is one of the largest producers of whisky. Photo: Ole-Christian Olsen / news They now produce 25,000 liters of whiskey a year. They have won a number of medals and awards for the goods they deliver, and share this with their followers on Facebook. But they must stop doing that, the Directorate of Health believes. Before Christmas, they had a review of the company’s social channels, and gave clear notice that a number of pictures and posts had to be deleted. Do you think they will have an extra setback – We are a young and fresh industry in Norway that is struggling because we cannot tell people that we are there, says Larsen. TOURISM: Roar Larsen believes that Myken, and other distilleries, have great untapped potential to contribute to jobs and tourism. Photo: Lars-Bjørn Martinsen / news Larsen is clear that he does not want to lift an advertising ban against alcohol. But the way the rules are interpreted today, he believes that they have an additional disadvantage compared to their foreign competitors, because they can build a following in a completely different way. – Today, it is on social media that people discover new things, get ideas and hear the stories of companies and people. When we are in practice cut off from doing things there, it becomes limiting from what we actually do. SHARING: The company is told to delete this post, because they share a link to a video where four men talk positively about them. ALCOHOL: This image must be deleted because it is seen as an invitation to drink alcohol. There is still a picture out on Myken Destilleri’s Facebook profile. This example is completely in the gray area, admits Roar Larsen, who thinks it is difficult to know where the line is. State monopoly for several decades The spirits industry is fairly new in Norway. For several decades there has been a monopoly in Norway and only the state has driven the production of spirits. In 2005, this ceiling was lifted, and several craft distilleries have now sprung up in the country. It’s everything from smaller producers who do it on their own, to the bigger players. Today there are around 35 such distilleries around Norway. And there are several who win give prizes without being able to tell. Among others Det Norske Brenneri. – We probably feel from time to time that we are making something that is linked to the prohibition era. There is not much applause to be heard from politicians around us when we create new jobs. That’s what Odd Johan Nelvik, founder of Det Norske Brenneri, says. It is a slightly bigger player than Myken Destilleri, which also has awards to show for it. Odd Johan Nelvik, founder of Det Norske Brenneri. Photo: Det norske brenneri – Losing respect for the law Nelvik also does not demand that they be allowed to advertise their products. – But nothing has happened with these laws since the 1970s. What we want is for the authorities to look at these laws again. The way it is today, can be compared to driving 30 kilometers an hour on a motorway: – You can’t do that for very long before you have to break the speed limit, and then you lose respect for the law. That is what is happening here now, says Nelvik. Last year, the company won the Gin of the Year category, or “Gin of the year” in the USA. In the industry, it’s a bit like winning the world championship. The heather gin from Det Norske Brenneri ran away with international awards last year. Photo: Det Norske Brenneri Over 2,000 spirits brands from all over the world participated. Judges smell and taste their way through all submissions. They also won the award for “Spirit of the year”. With that, they sent out cognacs from France and vodkas from Russia. But they could not tell about the price on social media. They are also not allowed to post a picture of the product showing the medal on the bottle. 1 out of 100 players The inspection carried out by the Norwegian Directorate of Health revealed what they believe to be promotional and positive mention of alcohol and indirect encouragement of alcohol use. Furthermore, images of alcoholic products and words and expressions that give a positive representation of alcohol and the business. – The content on the company’s Facebook pages is not in line with the advertising ban, concludes Giæver. Department director Øyvind Giæver says that the Alcohol Act states that all forms of marketing of alcohol to consumers are prohibited. Photo: Svein Olsson Myken was not the only company to receive reactions from the Directorate of Health. Those who are selected are chosen based on three things, explains Giæver. – Whether they had profiles on social media, secondly how many followers they had, and thirdly figures on turnover. Especially in social media, they found a good number of breaches of the law, says Giæver. – There were many minor offenses on Facebook and Instagram. In social media, it has to do with the fact that relatively little is allowed there, says Giæver. Pointing to Scotland Both Larsen and Nelvik want the authorities to see that this is a growing industry, which provides jobs and tourism. Such as in Scotland, for example. MYKEN: About 12 inhabitants live in the tiny fishing village of Myken. The island has neither car traffic nor more than 800 meters of road. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news – Look what they have achieved. Whiskey is the biggest export industry in Scotland. It is the largest tourism industry in Great Britain outside of London. We will create income in Norway and then we want someone to at least listen to us, says Nelvik. According to the Scotch whiskey association, Scottish distilleries were visited by 2 million tourists in 2019. On Myken, with its 12 inhabitants, 1,500 people visited the distillery during the summer season. – The potential is much greater if we had been allowed to be a little more open about what we do, says Larsen. Should sting financially – At Myken, do they think that the Directorate of Health is too square? – It would have been difficult – and unfair – to enforce a round and somewhat approximate interpretation of a ban. Everyone must of course be free to think that the Norwegian ban on alcohol advertising is too strict, replies Giæver. – In that case, the Storting and the ministry are the right address. The Directorate of Health is only responsible for interpretation and enforcement, he adds. This is how the advertising ban works According to Norwegian law, § 9–2. Advertising for alcoholic beverages, advertising for alcohol is prohibited. This ban also means that alcohol, or characteristics of an alcoholic drink, are on the advertising image. Department director Øyvind Giæver says that the Alcohol Act states that all forms of marketing of alcohol to consumers are prohibited. – The starting point is that importers and producers can only market their products to other industry players, such as for example sale and pubs. In addition, there is an exception to the rule that makes it possible for alcohol operators to provide fact-based information about alcohol – but this must only be done on their own homepages, not on social media. – The reason for this distinction is that the public actively seeks out the manufacturer’s website, while on social media you can be exposed to content you have not asked for – such as children being exposed to information about alcohol. The Ministry of Health and Care will make it even stricter to break the ban on alcohol advertising. Right now, a new proposal is out for consultation. The deadline to respond is Tuesday this week. – The regulation which is now under consultation contains, among other things, proposals for rules to determine the size of the offense fee. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news Here the ministry proposes that the Norwegian Directorate of Health can impose a fine of up to 5 per cent of annual turnover. – Today, the actors run no financial risk by breaking the advertising ban, if they only correct the breach of the law by order. When the new rules are put into effect, the Directorate of Health can impose a fee for offenses that have already occurred, says State Secretary Ole Henrik Krat Bjørkholt.
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Meken distillery collects international prices but cannot tell about it – news Nordland
