Distilled Spirits Packagers Continue to Grow

As we have noted before, the relaxation of certain rules and regulations in the United States has led to a boom of craft distilleries across the country.  Though some may argue the trend toward regulation may be reversing (distillers still need to get through applications or licensing processes at the federal, state and sometimes local level), the boom itself does not seem to be reversing, as noted by Liquid Packaging Solutions first hand at the recent PACK EXPO trade show in Chicago, Illinois.

 

LPS Packaging Specialists spoke with distillers from across the country, as well as with some from around the globe.  There seems to be something magical about leaving the daily grind of a nine to five job in order to craft one's own special recipe.  So given that we just recently went through some of the most popular packaging equipment for distilleries at the show, we figured we would give everyone else a quick recap this week as well.  Below we will cover the filling and capping of distilled spirits.

 

 

The two most popular filling machines for distilled spirits are gravity fillers and overflow fillers, both with benefits.  The distilled spirits industry is still heavily regulated, even if certain regulations have been relaxed recently.  The volume of liquid put into the bottle must hit a certain accuracy range when filling distilled spirits.  A gravity filler allows for individual fill times on each nozzle, letting the operator dial in the necessary volume.  The overflow filler, on the other hand, fills each and every bottle to the same level, which can be an asset for the shelf appeal of a product that is often bottled in clear containers.  Either way, the packager of distilled spirits will likely want to have a discussion not only with the packaging machinery manufacturer, but the bottle manufacturer as well, to ensure that all necessary regulations will be met.

 

 

Capping machines provide more than two popular pieces of equipment, as a number of different closures may be used to seal distilled spirits bottles.  Some will use standard screw caps, enabling a spindle or chuck capper to complete the task.  Others may use an ROPP capper, requiring a specialized capping machine, or even corks or other plugs.  Furthermore, the industry is fond of using capsules or other types of neck bands not only for decoration, but for tamper proofing bottles as well.  In the end, the right capping equipment for a distiller will depend on the type of closure being used, however, distillers can take comfort in the fact that LPS has not yet encountered a closure that could not be used, even if it meant building custom equipment.

 

To discuss your own craft distillery project, or to learn more about packaging equipment for distilled spirits, contact Liquid Packaging Solutions toll free at 1-888-393-3693.