Ogden’s Own Distillery in Ogden, Utah, has recently rebranded their controversial Five Wives vodka and renamed it Five Husbands in celebration of pride in June, according to NBC.
On the bottle of Five Husbands, five muscular men are seen standing in the buff with only roosters covering their… well I’ll assume you get the pun. This vodka is the official liquor of the 2019 Utah Pride Festival, for obvious reasons. That body type isn’t really my cup of tea but I’m sure many people will appreciate the sketched abs. The Distillery has a polygamy-themed vodka titled Five Wives that has won six taste awards and has since become very popular. Conlin recognized this and wanted to create a gay-themed vodka.
Why did the CEO of Ogden’s Own Distillery, Steve Conlin, design this label? He wanted people to know about the progressiveness in his home state of Utah, a Mormon-majority state.
Conlin commented that Utah, despite its religious influence, is “a pretty fun and wild place” and “really progressive.” He mentioned that Jackie Biskupski, an out lesbian, was elected mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah’s capital, in 2016. Conlin also commented that he has long wanted to sponsor the Utah Pride Festival, as he believes that “there’s something really magical about seeing people being able to express themselves and be themselves.” Now I haven’t been to the Utah Pride Festival considering I live on the east coast, but I have been to NYC Pride which I thoroughly enjoyed and I agree with Conlin (great Steves think alike I suppose) that it is very nice to see people express themselves openly without scrutiny.
Before pitching the idea for the vodka, Conlin asked Utahns to see if they share his same sense of humor. After surveying the regional population, he received positive feedback and decided to run with it.
I’m not much of a vodka drinker unless it’s mixed with orange or cranberry juice, but I would probably pick this vodka up if it were available where I live. What I really like is the message behind the creation of this vodka, because it is always nice to have positive representation. I also like the fact that this vodka is showing that the most unlikely communities support LGBTQ people and rights.
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Source: NBC