Satisfaction for the eyes
Pernod Ricard Korea
By Jun Kyoung-woo
Edrington Korea
FJ Korea
Keumyang International
Kwangjuyo Group
Those who like drinking at the bar feel satisfaction from the bottles of liquor that are lined up behind the bar. The bottles of expensive and exclusive liquors have unique designs that exude a special aura.
Liquors are like perfumes. Brands put a lot of effort into the design of their bottles. Liquors all taste pretty much the same, so the brands have to differentiate them through their packaging.
When choosing a liquor to give as a gift, people should also consider the bottle design. Not many people who give extremely expensive wines such as Romanee-Conti or Chateau Petrus as gifts or those who receive them without burden.
Putting some thought into a gift can make one pick up a 300,000-won bottle of wine. However, unless the recipient knows a lot about wine, he or she would not see it any differently from a 30,000-won bottle of wine.
This is why a beautifully designed bottle is important. It allows people, even those who don’t drink alcohol, to enjoy the bottle, for example, by displaying it in the house.
The designs of the bottle, label and cap or cork help make up the liquor brand’s identity. Brands consistently introduce fancier limited editions every season to create excitement and fun among the consumers. In the case of wines, which have similar bottle designs, the labels are the point of differentiation.
Popular American wine group Kendall-Jackson launched Silver Palm in 2007 whose bottle is decorated with real platinum. The group believes “beauty is in the details” and thus, pays attention to the design of its bottles as much as it does to the wines themselves.
Raymond Huet Michel Rolland Bordeaux Rouge is a wine tailored by renowned wine expert Michel Rolland and two of Korea’s best sommeliers — Yoo Young-jin of Sheraton Grande Walkerhill and Choi Eun-sik of the restaurant Jungsik — to the taste of Korean wine enthusiasts.
They used a broad-shouldered, heavy bottle because in Korea, Bordeaux wine is a popular gift, and used a copperplate rather than paper label. The label features the signature of Rolland.
San Pedro, 1865 Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon has become especially popular among golfers owing to a successful marketing campaign that encourages consumers to “play 18 holes in 65 strokes.”
The 1865 Golf Package, which includes the Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon inside a golf-bag-shaped case, is a perfect gift for avid golfers.
Italian sparkling wine La Marca Processco is appropriately packaged in an exquisite, romantic, mint-colored case that resembles the Tiffany jewelry box and matches the colors of the wine label.
The entire bottle of the British super premium vodka Snow Leopard is covered with the snow leopard print label. The background reminds one of the habitat of the endangered snow leopard. There are only 3,000 snow leopards remaining in the world.
Diageo Korea
The Macallan M Decanter is a limited edition single malt whisky decanter co-designed by France’s crystal artwork brand Lalique and artist Fabien Baron, who has worked with fashion brands such as Hugo Boss, Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein.
Jose Cuervo Reserva De La Familia is a super premium tequila, only 120 of which were imported to Korea to celebrate the brand’s 200th anniversary. Mexican contemporary artist Carlos Aguirre helped design the tequila’s fancy case.
Disaronno, which produces a liquor that has a strong almond flavor, has been actively collaborating with fashion brands. Last year, it worked with Moschino in designing its liquor bottle. This year, it transformed the bottle magnificently with Versace.
The limited edition bottle of the recently launched Hwayo 53, designed by the Kwangjuyo Group, is curvy and black, inspired by the traditional porcelain that the group is famous for. The golden dragon on the bottle symbolizes wealth and luck.
The brand most famous for the fancy transformation of its bottles is Absolut Vodka. Recently, the brand introduced the Andy Warhol Edition bottle, which recreated the 1985 work “Absolut Warhol” by pop artist Warhol.
Johnnie Walker introduced the blue cask edition bottle, which is a white, porcelain-like bottle that features four mythical guardian creatures. The limited edition bottle is only available at the Johnnie Walker House in Seoul. Only 100 bottles are available for sale.