How Whisky Packaging is Shaping the Market

You would easily recognise a bottle of whisky from across a crowded room. Why? Well, much of whisky packaging has remained habitually the same throughout the years with the emblem of luxury being a heavy weighted glass bottle. But with differentiation through glass packaging becoming a huge trend across the market space and key to brand image, many distilleries are scrambling to keep up and maintain a fresh, individual appearance.

So, we have been analysing how these trends have been shaping the whisky market and speaking to our friends at White Peak Distillery about their own, more modernised whisky bottle design.

Traditional Whisky Packaging

Whisky packaging traditionally has gravitated towards a conservative and staid appearance. With many traditional scotch whisky distilleries being well over a century old, the labels, logos and bottle shapes are intrinsically linked to the wants of their most loyal consumers. Who wouldn’t recognise, for example, the unmistakable appearance of Johnnie Walker’s striding man?

That being said, a huge amount of new bespoke glass packaging we are developing for whisky brands now, are heavily centred around a more contemporary design. So, this begs the question; who are these newer brands looking to appeal to most?

A Younger Audience

When envisioning a typical whisky drinker, you may be picturing a middle-aged gentleman drinking a scotch on the rocks by the fireplace. But in reality, new category trends and a millennial focus on premiumisation means there has been a 50% increase in millennial whisky consumers. So, if you’re a new whisky distiller, you may need to begin considering who you’re marketing your product to.

With bottle design being of such high importance, especially with aesthetics obsessed younger generations, ensuring your bottle has the right look whilst also conveying your brands message will be vital to appealing to this ever growing consumer group.

Broaden your Brand Identity

We spoke to White Peak Distillery about their own bottle design and how this was built from their brand identity. Claire Vaughan explained how the goal all along was to ensure they never looked to be trying to present themselves as a classic scotch whisky, as that is exactly what they are not. She felt that the majority of off-the-shelf glass packaging for whisky still had that traditional, heavy look to it, which is why they decided to dive straight in with a bespoke bottle.

“My main goal was to produce a bottle that I could see being featured in a James Bond film.”- Claire

White Peak Distillery is based in a building that was previously an old wire works (hence the name Wire Works Whisky), so Claire and Max wanted a bottle that was elegant, timeless, but also stayed true to the industrial heritage behind the brand. What resulted is a beautiful, contemporary piece of glass packaging design and one that would appeal to both traditional whisky lovers and the younger generation alike, breaking through to a vast customer base of all whisky lovers.

Thinking outside the box

Glass packaging is our bread and butter. And creating glass packaging that brings your brand to life is an absolute specialty of ours. If you are a new whisky brand looking to tell the story of your brand through gorgeous glass, or even a more traditional whisky brand looking to breathe new life into your glass packaging, get in contact with a member of the team.