Five Wives vodka 'offends Mormons'

If drinkers in Idaho fancy having Five Wives, they will now have to go elsewhere: regulators in the state have banned the sale of the humorously titled vodka after deeming it offensive to Mormons.

Five Wives vodka is made by Ogden's Own Distillery in Utah, where the Mormon Church is based. Its label carries the image of five women, an apparent reference to polygamy, a practice officially abandoned by the Church more than a century ago.

Regulators in Idaho notified Elite Spirits Distributor that the brand's concept is "offensive to a prominent segment of our population and will not be carried".

"The bottom line is, we represent everybody," said Jeff Anderson, the Idaho State Liquor Division administrator. "It's masterful marketing on their part. But it doesn't play here." He added that hundreds of other vodka brands were readily available in the state.

Ogden's distillery has responded by launching a media campaign and selling "Free the Five Wives" T-shirts. It says the snub is unfair because a Utah beer named Polygamy Porter is available in Idaho.