Bourbon heritage

Jim Beam announced that its complete lineup of bourbons was transformed with all-new packaging. The new packaging rolled out this month in London and other parts of Europe and will hit U.S. markets this summer. This marks the first time significant changes have been made to the brand in decades, the company says. The new Jim Beam bottles have a bolder structure with a clean label design featuring premium finishes, refreshed distiller portraits and a refined “rosette” logo, harmonizing the flavored product range. Jim Beam Devil’s Cut and Jim Beam Rye feature a bolder, more rectangular bottle structure with premium label enhancements, including extra-fine detailing, crafted borders, gold foil finishes, refined embossing and matte paper stock, the company says. It also includes a matte finished shrink sleeve along the closure. The global packaging upgrade comes two years after the launch of Make History, the first global marketing campaign for the iconic American brand, which traces its history to 1795. The updated bottle and exterior styling better represents the premium bourbon inside, the company adds. The redesign will contemporize the Jim Beam brand while celebrating its rich heritage, it adds. As an ongoing evolution of Jim Beam’s Make History campaign, the premium packaging launch is being supported with in-store point of sale (POS) showcasing the upgraded bottles and advertising featuring global brand partner and actress Mila Kunis.

A four-star salute

In conjunction with a refresh of its on-draft branding, Goose Island Beer Co. launched new packaging for its Goose Four Star Pils nationwide. The name and design for Goose Four Star Pils pays homage to its hometown of Chicago by donning the four stars on the Chicago flag emblematic of The Great Chicago Fire, The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, The Century of Progress Exposition of 1933 (Chicago World’s Fair) and Fort Dearborn, the company says. Originally named “Blue Line,” the craft beer debuted only on draft in 2015, it adds. Reborn as Goose Four Star Pils, the 5.1 percent alcohol-by-volume golden-hued pilsner has a light body, crisp hop aroma and clean, refreshing finish, the company says. It is packaged in six- and 12-packs of 12-ounce bottles, 12-packs of 12-ounce cans, four-packs of 16-ounce cans and 1/6th and 1/2th kegs. 

Doggedly determined

Dogfish Head Distilling Co. unveiled new packaging for its new made-from-scratch spirits line, which includes Dogfish Head Analog Vodka, Dogfish Head Compelling Gin and Dogfish Head Whole Leaf Gin. To help create its packaging design, which is commensurate with the quality taste and rich goodness of its new premium vodka and gins, the company partnered with Saxco International LLC. Working closely with the Dogfish’s design and marketing team, Saxco created a high-quality, square-shaped private mold for the flint 750-ml bottle for the three new spirits with flat shoulders and a premium thick glass base, the company says. The bottle also incorporates a prominent embossed Dogfish Head logo on its right-hand side along with heat-applied, two-color graphics on the front of the bottles. The concepts and designs were created by Dogfish Head Lead Designer Tim Parrott, who also provided the graphic designs for the pressure-sensitive, two-color labels that are applied above the heat-applied graphics, it adds. The bottle is finished off with a Mahogany wood top synthetic cork over-fitted with a tamper-evident tax stripe. Made with 100 percent brewers malt and proprietary “Doggie” yeast, Analog Vodka is 80-proof and contains the sweetness of caramelized sugar and malted barley with cleaning minerality, while Dogfish Head Compelling Gin is 88-proof and is distilled using the peel and flesh of citrus with hints of juniper and cinnamon, the company says. Additionally, the 90-proof Dogfish Head Whole Leaf Gin doses whole-leaf hops into each step of the gin distillation process.

Adventurous spirit

Constellation Brands Inc. launched Pacifico, a pilsner-style Mexican beer, in single-serve cans for the first time. The new format will offer greater trial opportunity for consumers, and Pacifico’s signature bright yellow can design offers increased visibility for the growing brand, the company says. “With one sip of Pacifico, our consumers get the experience of the Baja lifestyle that shapes the brand’s adventurous spirit,” said Jim Sabia, chief marketing officer for Constellation Brands Beer Division, in a statement. “With the 24-ounce can, we can now offer more trial opportunities at retail where other Pacifico packages may not be available, giving consumers more chances to try the brand.” The grab-and-go 24-ounce cans are available in 35 states.

Sealing the deal

Zico Beverages LLC launched a new packaging design for its portfolio of 100 percent not-from-concentrate coconut waters. Now available in larger 16.9-ounce PET bottles, the flavored coconut water varietals include ZICO Pineapple, Watermelon Raspberry and Chocolate-flavored coconut waters, as well as its original Zico natural variety, the company says. “We think our new packaging is absolutely beautiful, but what we’re even more proud of is what’s inside the bottle,” Zico Chief Marketing Officer Lorna Peters said in a statement. “At Zico, we go to work every day with the goal of making the best coconut water on the planet, and have gone to great lengths to source tasty, crisp not-from-concentrate coconut water.” Packaged at the source in Thailand, Zico’s new, larger packaging provides consumers with an extra 2.9 ounces of coconut water that retails for $2.49, the same suggested retail price as its 14-ounce predecessor, according to the company.