By the time my post reaches your screens, the not-so-hush-hush talk of the town is probably revolving around this IG reel:
[Source: S's IG stories - posted April 23, 2026]
Provocative, secksay afterhours music, warm undertones. Bond's bowtie, JAMMF's kilt and the dram. The whole panoply, so to speak.
There is, however, a wee detail *urv will never discuss, let alone mention. And this detail changes everything:
The content is not created by SS, nor by the guys at Galloway Distillery. At the same time, it is not a pronunciamiento by S. Not in any way, shape or form. It is a social media short advertisement produced, probably in collaboration with SS, by The Spirit Co. A spirit brands distributor based in the UK, but with a clear international reach:
Given the Sassenach EUIPO predicament, he sorely needs some sort of distribution in the EU, even if exclusively by mail and even more if the distributor originates in a third country, such as the UK. The Galloway Distillery website only claims being able to deliver in Denmark, Belgium, Finland, France, The Netherlands, Poland and Sweden. Not even a fraction of the EU market, so to speak.
This distributor seems to have a solid client base. 750k clients is more than decent:
[Source: https://thespiritco.com/products/the-sassenach-wild-scottish-gin?_pos=1&_sid=6aca3ec56&_ss=r ]
And is able to deliver by mail all over the EU, spare Germany:
Yes, I simulated a transaction and it's very interesting:
As you can see, they will deliver a bottle of SS gin right on my doorstep, but for the double of the UK retail price, representing taxes and shipping fees. Hello, Brexit, right? But hey, it's better than nothing and, in all honesty, there is not much they could do about it, aside from finding a local distributor. I am not holding my breath, because of that EUIPO court ruling, which would oblige them to get a local sales permit. And, in the process, add extra costs, for a market that globally has no curiosity for anything else than the likes of Lagavulin or Glenfiddich.
But never mind any logic. My DMs immediately reacted, but - curiously enough - not the Anons. And the comment thread under the post referencing the reel (more on this, in a jiffy) is a cacophony of enthusiastic cheerleaders, who see enormous things where they do not exist at all:
And of course, the distributor's sales department people chose to engage with the potential clients, while trying to deal with the obsessed Mommies who demanded an answer and did not exactly get one. It was the entire point of their mutually beneficial guerilla marketing stint.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, Google AI is a good -but insufficient - starting point. It will inform you that it was coined by Jay Conrad Levinson in his 1984 book Guerrilla Marketing. And also that it supposes exploring unorthodox sales strategies and deeper engagement possibilities, while keeping advertisement costs under control.
But, as always, don't believe me - perhaps believe those industry guys, who explain it way better than I could ever dream:
[Source: https://www.pulse-advertising.com/resources/social-media-news/guerrilla-marketing-tactics-that-work-in-2026/ - posted December 23, 2025]
[Source: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/guerrilla-marketing.asp - posted April 19, 2025]
Judging by traffic parameters, this seems to be a success:
11.5k likes in two hours is not bad, at least for the distributor who produced it.
And especially when compared to a very recent, similar post on the distributor's socials, but for another brand - 8 likes:
[Source: @the_spirit_co's IG page - posted April 17, 2026]
I if was Madam Mao and if that story they so desperately seem to be willing to peddle was real, I would feel - again - very insulted to see my sentimental affairs being turned into a transactional marketing pitch.
Certain things would better remain off limits, as far as trade goes. This only proves, to me and probably many other discerning consumers, the lack of ingenuity of their newly hired marketing team. Nothing more, but nothing less - and remember (LOL): this guerrilla marketing thing is always a double edged sword.
But Ella always says it better: 'Love for sale./Who will buy?/ Who would like to sample my supply?'
[Later edit}: will those engagement indicators automatically translate in a flurry of orders on that website? Not necessarily. Double edged sword, as I told you.
Also, not sure what the message is: 'now that the man is taken, drown your sorrows in those bottles?' Uh-oh, yeah. Nope.
