A tonic wine launched in Glasgow has had a complaint against it upheld for "causing serious offence".
King William Fortified Wine was created by Belcondie as a direct competitor to Buckfast and launched across Glasgow and the west of Scotland, but creators said they were unconcerned about any potential backlash.
However, a complaint by a member of the public has now been upheld by the the alcohol industry's Independent Complaints Panel. The panel said "in some communities" King William of Orange could be intrinsically linked to sectarianism, especially in Scotland and Northern Ireland", the Scottish Daily Express reports.
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The ruling continued: "As part of its discussion, the Panel noted that sectarianism still caused serious conflict in some areas of the UK today. The Panel discussed the meaning of symbolism and noted that in this particular instance, there would be some individuals who would celebrate King William of Orange and others who would find reference to him offensive, meaning that the overall impression conveyed by the packaging was very important."
Belcondie previously released a King William Gin and also owns the trademarks for King William Rum and King William Whisky.
The Panel also found that the alcohol by volume (ABV) strength of 16.90% was an "unusual" and "intentionally presented in this manner to associate it with a year, particularly in the context that it appeared five times on the packaging".
Belcondie argued it was a reference to the 1690 Distilling Act but the watchdog "considered it would be far more likely to be understood by consumers as a reference to the year when the Battle of the Boyne took place; a significant event in British history that was a key turning point in terms of its ramifications for religious and political views, particularly in relation to sectarianism".
It also considered the use of the colour orange in the packaging and "imagery of King William on horseback as though leading his troops into battle".
It concluded that "combination of elements on the label were likely to be divisive and inflammatory, fuelling division in certain communities where religiously aggravated crime was prevalent".
Chair of the Independent Complaints Panel, Nicola Williams, said: "The overall impression of a product should always be considered carefully and in this instance, it was a combination of elements that when considered together, created a clear link to sectarianism in a manner that could still be considered divisive and inflammatory today.
"I welcome the producer's intention to make changes to the product packaging and encourage other producers to note how a combination of factors can lead to a breach of the Code."
When it launched, a spokesman for Belcondie said: "We have no idea which football clubs our customers support but our previous products have done well in areas within west central Scotland. It seemed a natural choice for launch."
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