New look bottle for Ballantine's Finest

Ballantine’s Scotch whisky has unveiled a new-look bottle for its Finest impression. The glass pack has been designed by Air Innovation and manufactured by O-I, a leading global glassmaker, at Alloa in the heart of Scotland’s bottling region.

The new bottle embraces Ballantine’s traditional attributes, such as timelessness, elegance and authenticity, while becoming more contemporary in style.  It retains the rectangular shape that Ballantine’s is famed for, but its shoulders have been made more angular, resulting in a sharper, prouder look.  With design elements including a chevron-shaped label that echoes the wings of the historic Finest label, the new look gives the bottle a more dynamic, eye-catching appearance on shelf.

Premium quality cues have also been enhanced through a more prominent positioning of the brand’s crest and a simplification of the Ballantine’s seal. The bottle also features a deep chevron-shaped label panel to protect the new label throughout every stage of the supply chain.

Paul McLavin, marketing manager NW Europe for O-I says: “This evolution of Ballantine’s packaging truly emphasises the strengths of glass. Subtle changes to the bottle shape have been made to update the brand image to encourage fresh consumers to try Ballantine’s Finest, without alienating its loyal consumer base, who love the fact that Ballantine’s is one of the most consistent and recognisable brands in the world. Glass design is highly malleable; it can convey a brand proposition ranging from ultra-modern to nostalgic with an infinite range of possibilities in between.”

Peter Moore, Ballantine’s global brand director, adds: “The Ballantine’s Finest bottle has changed very little over the years, but we recognised a need for the look to be updated. We are delighted with the result. The new bottle performed very well in consumer tests within our key markets and outperformed our highest expectations.”

O-I is making the new bottle in a range of eight sizes from 500ml to two litres and each size retains a familial resemblance. The 1.5, 1.75 and 2 litre bottles all feature fingergrips and have moved away from the previous handled versions. The core sizes of 700ml, 750ml and one litre feature a finish capable of taking both Open Pourer and Non-Refillable fitments, thus reducing the number of glass variants. The 700ml and 750ml containers continue to be made using lightweight glass forming technology.

28 October 2013 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor