Distillers of Spirits Get Creative with Packaging and Products
While unique packaging will be found in just about any industry, the producers of distilled spirits seem awash in the creative spirit. In an industry where local, regional, national and global craft spirits have boomed over the last several years, one-of-a-kind flavors are combined with uncommon bottles, closures, labels and more to create some of the most interesting packaging for some of the most tasty products around.
Of course when discussing distilled spirits, a number of different products come to mind - whiskey, vodka, gin, rum. If the discussion moves to ingredients, the most likely responses would be grains, grapes, potatos, maybe some fruits, spices, herbs and roots. But what about milk, quinoa, salmon or ants? Each of these are used by at least one distiller to set apart products from the rest of the field and create bold new flavors.
And in the world of distillers, the containers that hold the spirits can be just as creative as the products themselves. While there is arguably a standard in the distilled spirits industry, from 375 and 750 ml to 1 and 1.75 liter containers and a few other common sizes, in both glass and plastic bottles with some named after the spirits they usually hold, there also exists a number of unique bottles shapes in the industry as well. Probably one of the most well known is a vodka bottle in the shape of a skull, made by, appropriately, Crystal Head Vodka. But on a quick scan of a shelf, consumers may find moonshine bottles, various animal shapes, sapphires or even aliens, proving that the creative influence behind the industry does not just stop with the liquors.
And now, unique packaging components are popping up more and more on distilled spirits packaging. While many spirits bottles will be sealed with a cork type closure and may include a top label or capsule, this sealing process is now being used to help to introduce the product and communicate with the purchaser. Astral Tequila is using a near field communication tag (NFC tag) that allows consumers to tap the tag with their smart phone and receive a video from the company. A second tap will produce a different message. Meanwhile, Medea Vodka allows the - user? - of their vodka to program their own LED display message on the bottle!
LPS has created rinsing machines, filling machines and capping equipment for many different distillers, as well as complete line solutions. The industry is admittedly one of the favorites for the creation of packaging machinery. The stories behind many of the spirits, as well as the creativity put in to bringing them to market, is infectious. While not the largest industry served by packaging machinery manufacturers, the distilled spirits industry often provides the opportunity to come up with creative packaging machinery solutions for the unique products and packages dreamed up by the distillers, allowing LPS to provide custom solutions and assist in our own way in getting unique products to market.
To read more about the flavors, packages and unique components of distilled spirits mentioned above, check out the following articles:
Get Weird With These 13 Unusual Liquors by Rebecca OConnell at Mental Floss
The 20 Weirdest, Coolest Liquor Bottles in the World by Brent Rose at Gizmodo
NFC tag for spirits conjures up 'the most interesting man' by Anne Marie Mohan in Packaging World