Top spirits design innovations

More than simply for the sake of aesthetics, spirits brands are looking to intelligent design innovations to engage consumers or even alter the integral taste of their products.

From the quirky to the controversial, these are the top spirits design innovations

Some brands have incorporated “industry first” technology into their designs to ensure authenticity and tackle counterfeiting, while others, such as Medea Vodka, use digital devices to spark consumer interest.

Industry innovators are also experimenting with bottles and unique tools which “enhance” the taste of spirits once they are bottled, even allowing the ageing process to continue at consumers’ homes.

A number of brands have launched beautiful limited editions and others undergo complete image revamps, but some take design technology to a whole new level.

From the quirky to the controversial, these are the top 10 spirits design innovations. If you think any essential choices have been missed out from this list, let us know by leaving a comment below.

Johnnie Walker “smart bottle”

Earlier this year Diageo unveiled a pioneering “smart bottle” for Johnnie Walker Blue Label in collaboration with leading electronics company Thin Film Electronics. The prototype bottle can assure customers of its authenticity using finger sensor tags that can detect whether a bottle is sealed or opened with the tap of a smartphone.

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DQ Vodka

Swedish brand DQ Vodka is contained in a futuristic vodka bottle consisting of nine separate parts that must be hand assembled. An aluminum rod, placed in the middle of the bottle, has been made in the same UK factory that produces Bentley’s coolers – and keeps the vodka cool when you take it out of the freezer.

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Oak Bottle

In March this year, one Canadian entrepreneur put the spirits ageing process into the hands of a consumer with the launch of the Oak Bottle. Creator Joel Paglione claims the bottle can enhance whisky, brandy and Tequila with the same level of flavour as traditional barrels in less than 48 hours. The brand has launched a number of bottles, some of which have been infused with the flavours of cherry, coffee and citrus.

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Johnnie Walker: The Boldest Glass

One of the most high tech innovations included in this list is Johnnie Walker’s Boldest Glass, which uses “bone conduction technology” to transmit music into a drinker’s ear. Said to offer a “glimpse of the future”, the design transmits tiny vibrations through the lower jaw, creating a unique audio to “enhance the brain’s perception” of the drink. Brand owner Diageo describes the product as an “industry first” in linking drinks and music in an “intimate fashion”, creating future possibilities to experiment with glass.

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Medea Vodka

New brand Medea Vodka has made a bid to stand out from the crowd with its use of Bluetooth technology. The brand launched a smartphone app earlier this year that enables users to create their own customised messages, which appear on an LED strip wrapped around its bottle. Programmable bottles have been around since 2010, but they could only be customised by pressing buttons manually on the bottle.

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Whisky Elements

Whisky Elements, an “innovation” which claims to turn young whisky into “top shelf stuff” in just 24 hours, caused quite a stir when it was unveiled to the public last year. The wooden stick, available in oak, vanilla, maple, smoky and peaty varieties, claims to add the effects of three years of ageing to any whisky and is crafted from barrel staves. It received more than five times its goal funding on Kickstarter in just two weeks.

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Capseal

Capseal is a new digital technology that aims to solve the problem of counterfeit spirits. Still patent-pending, the device, which comes in the form of a chip inserted in the neck of a bottle, allows users to scan spirits bottles to see if the capsule has been tampered or if the cork has been removed. The tag is mechanically deactivated when removing the capsule bottle to prevent it from being refilled. It was initially unveiled at Vinexpo Hong Kong last year.

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