Blue Nectar debuts new labels

While it’s the spirit that matters, beautiful packaging never hurt, say father and son brand owners BN and Nikhil Bahadur.

They did not invent a faux-Spanish name, nor are they celebrities. On the other hand, they invested years of their lives to find the best grower with which to work in Mexico, ultimately partnering with another family-owned company, Tequila Selecto de Amatitán (Jalisco), officially established over 15 years ago with roots going back 50 years, it farms estates comprising 800 hectares of volcanic soil lowland estate (NOM 1459).

The Bahadurs then invested another two years working with master distiller Saúl Pérez Santana and master blender Guillermo Garcia-Lay to develop Blue Nectar Silver, Blue Nectar Reposado Extra Blend, and Blue Nectar Reposado Special Craft. Today, the 100% estate-grown tequilas routinely win industry accolades.

Three years after launch, Blue Nectar is present in nine states, and select cities in Mexico, and is growing by double-digit volume from 2013 to 2014. At this year’s WSWA Convention & Exposition the tequila brand debuted new labels created by Spring Design.

Meghan Labot, managing director of Spring Design, says: “It was more an identity exercise than a label exercise.” Marcia Mosko of Burnett Print Group, who was also a key part of the team, adds: “These labels, much like this tequila, are a labour of love: the luxury elements such a foil stamping, embossing, de-bossing, and colour matching all take time and attention. However, we feel the end result is worth it.”

Many other unusual, premium elements include the use of uncoated paper, unique foil-stamped borders for each expression, and “tax strip” style navigation devices. Nikhil concurs: “The new design is more sophisticated, and ties into our core essence of making thoughtful tequilas. So far our distribution and trade partners love it.”

2 May 2015 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor