Vodka launches sleeved in dramatic black

DeLos Vodka, the only vodka distillery in Dallas, TX, has introduced one of the first glass vodka bottles to incorporate a full-body shrink label.

DeLos Vodka is handcrafted in small batches and available in 50 ml, 750 ml and 1.75 litre bottles.

Shying away from the traditional etched clear glass bottles, the entrepreneur and namesake behind DeLos, Carlos Guillem (nicknamed ‘Los'), desired a packaging that looked sleek and eye-catching but would provide the flexibility to quickly launch new sizes and flavours.

To meet DeLos’s packaging needs, McDowell Label, the label printer for the vodka application, recommended Embrace LV co-polyesters for shrink film from Eastman Chemical Company.

“Next to all of the clear glass bottles, we really wanted our packaging to ‘pop’ on the shelf,” explains Guillem. “The full-body shrink label enabled us to deliver that impact while still giving us the flexibility to create promotional packages and launch new flavours.” Shrink films provide a virtual 360-degree billboard for bottles.

For Guillem, sustainability was also a factor in choosing the packaging for his vodka. A deciding factor was that the label chosen is easily separated from the bottle, unlike direct print, therefore maximizing the recyclability of the glass.

“Black is one of the most challenging colors to achieve on shrink sleeves,” explains John McDowell, president at McDowell Label. “By using high-definition UV ink on the copolyesters, we were able to achieve a rich black color that direct printing and etching could not achieve.”

DeLos Vodka has been on store shelves in the Dallas/Fort Worth area since June 2009 and plans to launch statewide in February 2010.

1 November 2009 - Felicity Murray