Blackwood Distillers

[trout]

Milking the name and location for all it's worth as a marketing tool without making even so much as a token committment to the name or location in bricks and mortar.

 

They do have the following "token committments":

 

Registered Address:

 

Blackwood Distillers Ltd

159 Commercial Street

Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0EX

Scotland

 

Correspondence Address:

 

Benholm

Skellista

South Nesting

Shetland ZE2

 

^^ Which is where their "Customer Happiness Manager" works I believe?

[breeksy]

The clue was in the word 'received', yes money has been offered/allocated (see below) but only if they can raise the majority of the cash themselves privately.

 

Like I said, if there's something to worry about with all this I suggest you have a good look at what's happening at Saxa Vord.

 

Are you saying that Blackwoods have not yet raised the cash for the distillery? The one that was supposed to be open four years ago? Thats not great, is it.

 

I will admit to finding it a little bizarre that someone that is obviously involved in Blackwoods tries to make it sound like Shetland's money has not been used for the project when they have applied for and accepted. Have they received any of Shetland Enterprise and HIE's £1million + yet?

[Infiltrator]

I will admit to finding it a little bizarre that someone that is obviously involved in Blackwoods.

 

My only interest in this is as a token shareholder and I'm happy enough with the position to move back to Nesting. Rome wasn't built in a day - nor was the Bressay Bridge

 

My other interest in this is as a local and watching the local economy being flushed down the pan by continued poor investments.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but the recent study into the investment returns from the charitable trust over the last 10 years was something like a return of £4 million from an investment of £125 million.

[Ghostrider]

My personal opinion, as I'm no lawyer, thank god, is that if the company had any less tangible connection with Shetland, they would be treading a very thin line as regards the terms of the Trade Decriptions Act in using the name.

 

Unlike the knitwear industry, everywhere you go there's 'Shetland' wool jumpers that've never seen Shetland

 

I think folk should look to Frank Strang to see why Blackwoods have gone back to their original plans for Nesting. It was his plans to turn Unst into a haven for rich tourists that tempted Blackwoods to Unst - pipe dreams for the community of Unst and I think Blackwoods were drawn into the dream.

 

As for no tangible link, Shetland water and Botanicals in the Gin and Shetland Cream in the Jago. Both products have huge markets and have done wonders for the whole image of Shetland by putting it on the map for lots of folk.

 

Wtf are locals so determined to see outsiders fail?

 

p.s. Blackwoods have never received a single penny of support from the council - what about all the local entrepreneurs that have milked the charitable trust and gone bust #cough# salmon #cough#

 

Yes, the knitwear industry is a sorry example, due in no small part to the local industry and the SIC of the time taking so long to cotton on to what was happening, and taking equally long to try and prevent it contuining happening, they could do little to salvage anything from the wreckage. However, surely having made the mistake once, it would be prudent to learn from it would it not?

 

I can only speak for myself, but I have no wish to see any business fail, be it either locally or outside backed. God knows, Shetland needs all the help it can get with Agriculture and Fishing in their death throes and Sullom in a steady decline.

 

That said, I do object to anyone, using the Shetland name and location for their own ends, without contributing in return to earn them that right. Blackwoods have been selling their drinks now for some time, assumedly at a profit, or I doubt they'd even have been doing that either. They've used the marketing value of the name and location to assist in making those sales, but what have they so far paid the name and location for it? So, they use "Shetland water and Botanicals" and cream. Nice, but just how much did those cost them? Neither water or plants usually have anything more than a nominal price tag, do they? and just how many litres of cream have they purchased so far and at what cost? If they think investing in some water, plants and some cream is a fair price to pay for the use they've had of the name and location for marketing so far, we have been robbed blind.

 

I'm very reluctant to put blame Strang's way, he's in business just like Whitfield, and somehow I seriously doubt he'd have let a deal slip unless he'd either been made a better offer, or, he wasn't going to make anything out of what would be acceptable to both parties. As far as I see it, blame lies at least with Blackwood's PR, if not with the company in it's entirity, period. The sound bite the media grasped was the "Blackwoods were going to Saxa Vord", now either they put that out themselves, or then they made no obvious attempt correct the perception once it got out there. Had they made it clear, as now seems to have been the case, they were simply considering Saxa Vord as a possible alternative to Catfirth, it would have been a whole other story. Instead, Catfirth never got another mention and Saxa Vord was hyped and pushed at every turning, including the additional marketing value gained to the "most northerly" term by the Saxa Vord location.

 

If I were a cynic, I might be tempted to think come this stage that the whole Saxa Vord saga was just a free marketing boost for Blackwoods, using the additional value which was given to the "most northerly" term by the location. Show an interest, milk it, then when it came time to put up or shut up, move on. What I, and I doubt I am alone in feeling it, is a severe lack of patience with, and goodwill towards the company. Blackwoods have earned themselves a reptuation IMHO of talking a great deal of big talk, but producing very very little to justify their rhetoric.

 

No one is going to argue that businesses take time to plan, backers to be secured, etc etc, that is expected. But, as has been pointed out this has been rumbling on for four or five years, they have also had their products in the market for years as well. These are products with a track record, if backers are still being sought a while after you can prove your product's profit margins, you have to question if the product is quite so attractively viable as the company would have folks believe. Or, is it issues within the company's structure and/or management that is hindering investor confidence?

 

It is glaringly obvious that Blackwoods don't really have to spend one more penny than they already have on infastructure and local goods/services, unless they want to, or are made to. Their products are being manufctured as is, they're on the shop shelves, assumedly the profits are trickling back to the shareholders? Blackwoods, can, if they so choose carry on doing what they're doing exactly as they're doing it, to infinity, if they're allowed to.

 

Shipping south the occasional truck tanker of water, a few plants and a few litres of cream in exchange for them using the terms "Shetland" and "most northerly distillery" as their main selling points is a very bad trade for us as far as I'm concerned. Particularly when as Trout points out, the only tangible token gesture to an actual Shetland presence is only on paper, and maybe a tiny brass plaque at the door.

 

I will wish Blackwoods every success and prosperity in their Shetland ventures, but only after their distillery has been completed and distillation is in progress within it. Until such a time and place as that may happen, IMHO these people need to be pressured to either get on with it, or be given a time limit on using us for marketing purposes. Elsewise, the whole thing has a distinct smell of continuing exactly as is, which considering the marketing capital they are taking out of the name and location and only throwing a few coppers to one or two locals occasionally for that privilege is, IMHO, taking the piss.

[Frances144]

Well put sir, I agree. Here, Here (or is it hear, hear!).

 

Frances

[trout]

As an aside, it may be interesting to point out that their "Sales Director Shetland Spirit - Tara Benson" is promoting Shetland Gin in particular across the Internet by using YouTube.

 

View the videos here. If you look closely it would appear that the SIC/Tourist Office "Shetland Brand" of "Visit Shetland" is utilised in the top right corner of each video clip.

 

One question I've pondered, and Ghostrider has touched on, is the use of "Shetland botanticals and cream". If you are producing products on an industrial scale I can only presume you need industrial amounts of ingrediants? How "little" or "much" does one have to use to then claim the product uses Shetland produce and therefore is worthy of the name?

 

It conjures up images of milk-exsanguinated cows and expanses of barren fields harvested of botanicals, no? From Blackwoods marketing it would appear to be a couple of folk out and about hocking about in a stank noo and den:

 

We try to use local ingredients and local people to pick our botanicals, milk the cows and come up with great ideas. Come visit us!

 

"Try" being the key word, and get-out-clause in that press statement!

 

Anyway, just a question. I too wish them all the success of building a distillery in Shetland.

[islandhopper]

"Try" being the key word...

... that's probably why the spots do show "produced on mainland Scotland" at the end (bottom right) ...

[Claudias]

Would you all prefer to have Blackwoods leave Shetland altogether? They could still export Shetland water,etc. and use the Shetland name without any penalty. Why not be happy with the publicity which they bring.

[Ghostrider]

Would you all prefer to have Blackwoods leave Shetland altogether?

 

....and the difference between that and the status quo, would be what exactly?

[Claudias]

If you read the rest of the sentece you wouldn't need to ask.

[Ghostrider]

^^^

 

I did, and I thought I had made myself quite clear in my second post to this thread how good a deal for Shetland I felt their second hand publicity was, so a further comment was un-necessary.

 

If they and their products vanished without trace tomorrow, who in Shetland would lose anything they'd miss by it?

[Claudias]

That's maybe a topic for another thread. Would those who had become accustomed to Blackwoods products from Shetland search for other Shetland products?

[Sudden Stop]

That's maybe a topic for another thread. Would those who had become accustomed to Blackwoods products from Shetland search for other Shetland products?

 

I doubt it. I get the feeling that Shetland isn't currently getting anything back from them at all. Any PR we get will be very very limited.

[Claudias]

They are employing local people,which is what SIC councillors seem to demand above all else.

[Ghostrider]

Applying a little lateral thinking, I would hazard a guess that if anyone could have benefitted from Blackwood's second hand publicity, the most likely would probably have been Valhalla. Similar product, connected location, etc.

 

However, given that by the owner's own admission recently in the press, that his production capacity and consequently his ability to supply his products to all potential stockists fell somewhat short of ideal. Chances are he was only able to benefit marginally, if any, so far, to any benefits which may have come his way.