Some spirit brands take their bottle designs very seriously. An eye-catching bottle can be beneficial for sales, but if you look further, you will learn that every little detail has a bigger meaning. Of course, innovative bottle designs aren’t anything new. Ballantine’s famous rectangular and flat bottle shape was a Prohibition-time solution for easier smuggling. The square shape allowed the whisky salesmen to stack these bottles in their suitcases, making it possible to carry more bottles without clinking.
Johnnie Walker’s angled label design was trademarked back in 1877. Their whisky bottles are one of the easiest to spot on any shelf. The iconic oblique label is always at 24 degrees, making it eye-catching.
Some brands such as Ardbeg, use green bottles. Darker bottles prevent light ruining the quality of the spirit. Using green bottles is also about marketing. Unfortunately, the perception in the whisky industry remains that the older and darker the whisky is, the better the quality. Obviously, this is not the case, and the use of green bottles will help people to focus on aspects other than the colour.
More about whisky and colour, see my previous blog post Where Does Whisky Gets Its Colour From?
Whisky bottle designs
Raasay Distillery wanted to capture the island’s natural beauty in their bottle designs. They used fossils and rocks from the island to mould the print on the glass. The outcome is truly unique!
The triangular bottle shape of Glenfiddich represents the three ingredients: water, barley and air. The bottle was originally designed in 1956 by famous modernist Hans Schleger. He was also behind the iconic London Transport bus stop signs. Glenfiddich started to use the bottle from 1961 when they launched their Straight Malt (now known as single malt).
When it comes to The Hearach single malt, the vertical and horizontal patterns of the glass and label patterns are reminiscent of Harris Tweed and therefore represent the island’s heritage. The pattern is also a nod to the people, the hearach. And the copper and grey colours reflect the land, the place.
Glenglassaugh bottles take inspiration from the coastal elements and the crashing waves around the distillery.
The stills at Balvenie Distillery have a boil ball at the base of the swan’s neck. The shape of the boil ball has been replicated in their bottle design.
During the archaeological work at Lindores Abbey Distillery they found several carved stones that had been buried for hundreds of years. These finely carved stones were used in the ancient monastery of Lindores, which gave them the idea for the distillery’s unique bottle design.
The Dalmore bottles are instantly recognisable from the silver stag head. The royal symbol has a whole story around it. In 1263 Colin of Kintail, the chief of Clan Mackenzie, saved the life of King Alexander III during a hunting trip. The King fell off his horse and while on the ground saw a charging stag coming right at him. Colin of Kintail threw himself in front of the King and killed the animal with his spear.
To show his appreciation, the King granted the clan the right to use the Royal Stag crest on their coat of arms with the motto ‘Cuidich ’N Righ’ meaning ‘Help the King’. See Benjamin West’s artwork Fury of the Stag, which depicts the rescue.
The Dalmore whisky dates to 1839, but it was in 1891 that the Mackenzie family (descendants of Colin of Kintail) took over the distillery. It was during their ownership that the stag was added, first as a small logo on the labels and later on as a larger silver emblem.
Blanton’s whiskey bottles have trademark stoppers which feature a horse and jockey in different strides and poses, modelled on the various stages of a horse race. Each of the eight stoppers has a single letter, with the full collection spelling Blantons – the final S marking the finish of the race. A perfect whiskey brand to feature at the Kentucky Derby!
Frank August Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon has a minimalist bottle design to reflect its ‘philosophy of modernity and belief that less is more’. The bottles are easy to recognise due to their decanter shape, the heavy brass toppers and the lack of front label. Even the clear back label peels off easy.
The Hibiki bottle shape has 24 facets, which symbolise the 24 season changes from the ancient lunar calendar. This is a nod to Japanese nature when it comes to whisky maturation. The neck of the bottle also has a deep purple tape, which symbolises Japan’s noblest colour.
Gin bottle designs
Lin Gin (and rum) pays homage to five local buildings and landmarks.
Linlithgow Palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. It was also the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. The palace is represented in the bottle shape, and the horizontal ribbing on the bottle signifies the layers of stone and brick.
When you view the bottle from the top down, you can see the impression of the Crown of Thorns spire of St Michael’s Church. It is also represented in the logo embossed on to the bottom of the bottle.
The cupola top to the bottle represents St Magdalene’s Distillery and maltings, which was the last whisky distillery in Linlithgow (it closed in 1983).
The jade green colour of the bottle and branding is a nod to the Linlithgow Loch found north of the town centre. The loch is the largest freshwater loch in Lothian. Lin Gin’s main botanical, meadowsweet, grows around the loch.
Raasay gin bottles represent the sense of place. Like their whisky bottle, the gin ones are made using rocks, fossils and juniper branches found on the island. These were 3D scanned and turned into a CAD model, which was then transferred onto a mould and blown into glass.
The copper foiling and the copper ‘coin’ at the neck of King’s Hill Gin is a nod to the still in which the gin is produced. The diamond texture on the bottle references the crisp, clean water of Glencorse, the reservoir supplying the water for the gin.
Igneous Gin’s custom ceramic bottle gets its inspiration from the volcanic rock that filters the water and upon which the distillery is built. The beautifully imperfect igneous shapes and textures on the bottle reflect the quality spirit that resides within.
Kirkjuvagr Gin bottle design represent the distillery’s Orcadian heritage. The brand’s slogan, Unmistakeably Orcadian, is engraved on the lip of each bottle. The Norse word ‘Afl’ is found written around the neck in runes, which translates as ‘strong’ to demonstrate the Kirkjuvagr brand’s strength of connection to Orkney, both culturally and historically.
Orkney Distilling’s wave pattern forms the body of the bottle, symbolising the seafaring traditions of the islands and the bold, exploratory spirit of Orcadians. Vegvisir, the mythical Norse compass, is stamped into the bottle and atop the bottle closures. ‘He who holds this compass will find his way home’ is a hidden detail inscribed in the bottle’s base. It is a reference to the literal contemporary translation, or meaning, of the Vegvisir.
Barra Atlantic Gin captures the essence of the sea. You just have to look at their Instagram page and the bottle design makes so much sense. It blends into the elements of the island, whether the bottle is filled with whisky, rum or gin. Barra Gin represents the tranquillity of the ocean. The calmness of the sky.
Misty Isle gin and vodka bottle designs capture the Isle of Skye’s culture and heritage. The swirls are for the Fairy Pools, the copper coin in the cork marks the copper stills, and the shape of the island of Skye can be found on the base of the bottle. The contour lines on the labels represent the iconic mountains.
Tarquin’s Gin has a frosted finish to imitate the sea-glass found on the shores of Cornwall. The lower part of the bottle has an embossing of waves.
Roku Gin’s six-sided bottle is embossed with six Japanese botanicals. Roku also means six in Japanese. The label is printed on washi paper, a nod to Japanese craftmanship.
The lady on Daffy’s Gin bottles is the Goddess of Gin, and the wife of the owner. The picture was painted by Robert McGinnis, the man behind the Breakfast at Tiffany’s poster with Audrey Hepburn and several James Bond posters. Daffy was also a nickname for gin in Dickensian times.
Other
The silhouette of X Muse Vodka (pronounced tenth muse) is a reference to Cells of Life, Charles Jencks’ sculptural landforms that frame the aquifer at Jupiter Art Land. Cells of Life is a range of contemporary dunes with winding pathways and tiered sloping grass banks surrounding pristine reservoirs. The bottle also features a glass stopper, and under the wax seal you’ll find debossed text ‘Plura Latent, Quam Patent’, meaning ‘More is hidden than uttered’.
Chambord Raspberry Liqueur has a very ornate round bottle shape, similar to a perfume or more like the Christian symbol globus cruciger, also known as the orb and cross. Until 2010, the bottle had a crown atop its lid and a gold opulent band around the middle. To improve the usability of the bottle, Brown-Forman changed these two elements. The crown now looks like a raspberry made of jewels and the band is flat with the name still on it.
The inspiration for the product came from the gift presented to King Louis XIV during a visit to the Château de Chambord in the 17th century. The bottle design took inspiration from shapes of the Château such as the spherical shape of its towers, and the original gold band embodied the regal luxury.
Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur was first made by monks from the Piedmont region of Italy. It is named after Friar or Fra’ Angelico, an 18th-century abbot who chose to live in solitary. The bottle design is shaped like a Christian friar wearing a rope and a knotted white cord, which clearly points to the religious heritage of the liqueur.
The Italicus Bergamot Liqueur bottle is modelled after a Roman column, and its distinctive turquoise colour refers to the glistening waters of the Amalfi coast. The base of the bottle is shaped like a halved bergamot. The stopper features an illustration of Bacchus, the god of wine, harvesting the citrus fruit, made in the style of Leonardo Da Vinci. The black-and-white rim is a nod to Michelangelo’s Santa Maria Novella Basilica in Florence.
Similarly Galliano’s tall bottle, tapered with flat sides, gets its inspiration from the columns of ancient Roman temples.
St Germain elderflower liqueur is named after the Paris neighbourhood, Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The bottle gets its shape from the Art Deco patterns linked to the early 20th-century Belle Époque history of this area.
Do bottle designs impact your buying decisions? Did I miss any important bottles?
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