Portman Group

The Portman Group is a trade group composed of alcoholic beverage producers and brewers in the UK.

History
It was set up in 1989 as part of a campaign to raise awareness of alcohol-related issues, and its members account for the majority of alcohol products sold in the UK. It takes its name from the Portman Square, London, head office of Guinness, one of its co-founders.

Drinkaware Trust
In the same building is the Drinkaware Trust, formed in 2006 after the Drinkaware website was formed in 2004. The Drinkaware Trust now runs all alcohol education campaigns, that had been previously the responsibility of the Portman Group.

Aims
There are four main aims of group:
 * Promote responsible drinking (and thus lessen binge drinking)
 * Help prevent misuse of alcohol
 * Encourage responsible alcohol marketing and advertising
 * Balance the understanding of alcohol-related issues.

Two main focuses are to help prevent underage drinking and drink driving.

Campaigns
There have been several full campaigns run by the group. These include:
 * "I'll be Des" (designated drivers)
 * "If you do do drink, don't do drunk" and DrinkAware.co.uk (excessive drinking, particularly in the under 24s)
 * Proof of Age Card (aka Prove It) (a PASS-accredited identity card, discontinued in 2007)

These campaigns have been strongly criticsed by, amongst others, Professor Ian Gilmore of Royal College of Physicians and Professor Martin Plant of the University of the West of England, both noted alcohol harm experts, as not only inneffective but even favourable to the alcohol industry.

Full members

 * Allied Domecq
 * Bacardi Brown Forman Brands
 * Beverage Brands (UK) Ltd
 * Carlsberg UK
 * Coors Brewers UK
 * Diageo Great Britain
 * InBev UK Ltd
 * Pernod Ricard UK
 * Scottish & Newcastle

Associate members

 * Mitchells & Butlers
 * Thresher Group
 * Union Pub Company/Pathfinder Pubs
 * JD Wetherspoon

Video clips

 * Drinkaware Trust YouTube channel
 * Night Out 2006 advert

Audio clips

 * Woman's Hour September 2005

News items

 * Scottish plan to increase cost of alcohol in March 2009
 * Teenage drinkers in November 2007
 * Legal age of drinking in August 2007
 * Alcohol product labels no longer on football shirts in June 2007
 * Night Out advert in April 2006
 * Under-age drinking in September 2004
 * Women's drinking poster in May 2005
 * Violence and alcohol in September 2000
 * Charging for proof-of-age card in January 2000
 * Alcopops in October 1998