Upscale bottle designed for Rich & Rare

When Sazerac decided to release an upper-shelf reserve bottling of its Rich & Rare Canadian Whisky, the New Orleans-based spirits supplier needed an upscale bottle that incorporated the core brand assets of its fast-growing lower shelf blend, while also conveying a higher-end appearance.  

Berlin Packaging responded by designing and supplying a bottle with a scalloped neck, wheat embossing, striking gold overcap, and a taller and thinner profile than some of the brand’s competitors to take full advantage of top-shelf merchandising.

Manufactured by Piramal Glass in New Jersey, the bottle is white flint to provide a more reflective quality and aid in the visibility of the embossment. The cap is a stock 28mm liquor, tamper-evident cap made by Berry Plastics (Evansville, IN) and the overcap is a custom component supplied by Parisi and Associates.

The glass is both screen-printed and hot-stamped to create a two-toned beige and gold look for the R&R logotype. The registration accuracy required to achieve this two-toned treatment is not something that can usually be achieved on a container of this size and shape, therefore, the decorator, Hanes-Erie of Fairview, PA, had to customise its processes to handle the job.

The package includes a two-sided back label supplied by Pamco Label of Des Plaines, Illinois, that is visible through the glass from the front of the bottle. The front side of this flexo-printed pressure-sensitive label (the side you see through the bottle) has a glossy finish and features an image of a wheat stalk – echoing the wheat embossments on the bottle. It is printed in three colours. The back of the label is matte gold metallic with black text and also printed in three colours (white, metallic gold and black).

Berlin Packaging sourced all components, worked with the suppliers to solve challenges such as ensuring consistent embossment from bottle to bottle, and managed the supply chain.

The company supplies a custom re-shipper carton that has everything but the spirit inside, delivering a turnkey program in which the bottle travels from the glass manufacturer to the decorator to the bottler in the same carton.

28 November 2013 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor