For us, responsible drinking means not drinking under the legal age; not driving over the legal blood alcohol limit or if there is uncertainty about one’s condition to drive; and not encouraging others to drink irresponsibly.
We believe that it is our responsibility – and in our best interests - to encourage and promote responsible drinking. In our view, demonstrating such responsibility is critical to maintain the trust required to protect our commercials rights. Our business strategy is to build great brands. We much prefer our consumers to enjoy our products in moderation over the long term because incidents of overconsumption or abuse may be potentially unhealthy and dangerous, and harm our brand equity. Because this attitude is part of our culture, our message of moderation is part of our daily business and is reflected in the relationships we have with our employees and our partners in the industry.
Our Approach
Our promotion of responsible consumption starts within our company where we urge those employees who choose to drink to do so responsibly.
We have evolved our employee alcohol policy into what we call Policy 400: Principles of Responsible Consumption and Service of Beverage Alcohol. This sets out how we expect our employees should conduct themselves when consuming or serving alcohol.
We hold our company and employees to a high standard and each employee has a personal responsibility to uphold our standards. We provide educational tools and resources to help employees meet this goal. In the summer of 2009, we are introducing a training course in the responsible consumption and service of alcohol to all employees. New employees will be required to complete the course within 90 days of their hire. After that, they must be recertified every two years.
The training provides critical facts and information about alcohol so that our employees understand what we expect of them, and what they can do to promote responsibility, in different situations. Courses will be available online and in an innovative board game format, which encourages group dialogue and learning.
All employees are instructed not to drive if there is any question of them being over the legal limit. The expense of occasional transportation home in a taxi or other means is reimbursable by the company. In Louisville, Kentucky, employees may use a service called CityScoot, which will drive them home safely in their own car. Similar services are being tested in other areas. Responsible consumption continues beyond our company to our many external relationships and is described in further detail in our printed publication, On Being Responsible. For consumers, for example, we intend to be creative with our responsible drinking messages, just as we are with the building of our brands. We use brand marketing and education to carry our message of responsible consumption. We want to protect and enhance the standing of our brands and we set clear and strict standards that our marketing and advertising partners must follow in their promotions. We work with them to enable everyone to adhere to our high standards.
Actions
A potentially controversial way of consuming alcohol has required careful consideration: drinking shots (small measures of spirits consumed in one swallow). Many people enjoy shots. Drinking in this way can accentuate the taste of spirits, and the social occasions associated with consuming shots can be convivial and memorable. There is a perception that shots lead to overconsumption, although many see the practice most commonly associated with celebration. But there is concern that the practice can lead to misuse of alcohol. We have developed a policy that reflects our views on the safe and responsible promotion of shots. It covers a range of specific dos and don’ts, and stipulates that there should be no excessive drinking, such as the rapid consumption of multiple shots.