Packaging Inspiration: Wine and Spirits Bottles Imbued with the Brand’s Personality
Standing out on the store shelf can be challenging in the crowded wine and spirits market. Wine and spirts makers must choose bottles that represent their brand while enticing the customer. A toast to these three brands for succeeding with unique packaging that puts them on the top shelf!
Michael David Winery: History in a Bottle
Michael David is more than just a winery; it’s part of the history and culture of Lodi, California. The Phillips family has been farming the land there since the 1850s and cultivating wine grapes since the 20th century. Winery founders Michael and David Phillips are fifth-generation grape growers who have raised their families on their Lodi vineyard. The Phillips, and the brand they’ve created, live according to the local values. They nurture relationships with their growers, develop partnerships within their community, and harvest their land responsibly and sustainably. It’s a family legacy they hope to pass on to future generations.
When the company wanted to rejuvenate their namesake brand of premium wines, new packaging was the perfect way to elevate the Michael David portfolio. The brand developed unique graphics for their bottle, but didn’t know how to bring their idea from concept to completion. Berlin Packaging’s team of designers and engineers had the glass expertise to make it happen. The team took the original design and optimized it to meet the challenging technical requirements. The final result is a heavily embossed custom glass bottle that maintains the integrity of the brand’s original vision while meeting all manufacturing hurdles. The beautiful bottle will be used for the entire portfolio of red, white and rose wines, in antique green and flint glass.
Blackland Distillery: Modern Simplicity
Unquestionable classic. Distinctly original. That’s how Blackland Distillery describes their uniquely-crafted and aged spirits, made in Fort Worth, Texas with a specialized local grain. Named for the prairie that runs from the Red River to San Antonio, Blackland marries the old and the new. Time-honored traditional methods are blended with modern technology to create clean, unique spirits that have a taste all their own.
This distinctly original brand needed a unique, one-of-a-kind package that reflected their story. The design team at Berlin Packaging’s in-house creative studio, Studio One Eleven, created a tall, round 150mL flint glass bottle to be used across the portfolio, developing an ownable and recognizable modern classic look for Blackland. Inimitable rib details add dimension and distinction, truly separating these special spirits from the rest. A smooth front and back label panel allows for seamlessly integrated, harmonized graphics. The use of both clear and sprayed blue and brown glass allows for each spirit’s individual style to shine through – from the crystal clean vodka to the botanical-infused gin to the rich, amber bourbon. Studio One Eleven’s team of industrial designers and engineers optimized the bottle for manufacturability and commercial efficiency, ensuring production quality that exceeded expectations.
West Michigan Rum: Breaking Out of the Mold
Burl & Sprig is a different kind of distillery. It is a place where creativity, innovation and the artisanal spirit are celebrated as much as a delicious barrel of rum. Their passion for design and craft can be seen in everything they do. From their travels all over the world searching for the finest ingredients, to their deliciously imaginative signature cocktails, to their beautiful tasting room decor and artistic package design.
Berlin Packaging worked with Burl & Sprig to find a package that breaks the mold from the traditional rounded shapes that line the liquor store shelf. The stock 750ml cube rum bottle translates to premium glass packaging that reflects the brand’s creativity and quality. The large square sides are the perfect canvas for the brand design. So our in-house design team, Studio One Elven, translated the co-owner’s art background and love of surrealism to the bottle. The graphics represent a journey into the unconscious mind, playing with the juxtaposition of dreams and reality. Artists from all over the world created one-of-a-kind pieces for each product within the line, resulting in a portfolio fit for a gallery. The surreal artwork is married with a simple band for branding. A unique wood texture fingerprint brandmark speaks to the uniqueness of dreams as well as each artist leaving their individual mark. The final design is like a dream come true.