Refresh, Redesign or Rebrand: How to Know Which Your Distillery Needs—And What It Means For Your Spirits Packaging

Even the most well-thought-out spirits branding needs a revamp from time to time. Here’s how to determine what your distillery needs and how to execute it efficiently with packaging.

Any successful brand needs an image that aligns with and appeals to its market: in an industry where most purchase decisions are ultimately made at the point of sale, spirits rely heavily on packaging to do this effectively.  

When it doesn’t, sales plummet and companies scramble to pinpoint where the problem lies. And naturally, the first place they look is…packaging.

The good news? Getting your distillery back on consumer radar doesn’t require endless trips to the drawing board—if you know where to focus. Here’s what to consider. 

How To Know If Your Spirits Packaging Is Affecting Sales

Packaging is a crucial factor in spirits purchasing but it isn’t always to blame for dismal figures. Before assuming the root issue is design-related, it’s wise to collect and analyse your data accurately. Look at the following details of any decrease in sales:

• Range. Are sales falling across the board with a variety of stockists? Or is the problem concentrated to a particular location or retail type?

• Duration. Is it a gradual decrease over time or a sudden drop?

• Industry trends. Has a particular product decreased in popularity across brands?

Sudden, stockist-specific drops could be attributed to a mismatched sales location or poor display setup rather than packaging design. Industry-wide fluctuations signal changing consumer behaviour and require strategizing product offerings that go beyond an aesthetic shakeup. 

On the contrary, a widespread, gradual decrease in your sales which is not reflected in industry numbers is a good indicator that your brand could benefit from a change in design.

Refresh, Redesign, or Rebrand? What’s The Difference?

Once you’ve decided your label is ready for a revamp, the next question is: how much needs to change in order to achieve better sales? Here’s an insightful reference.

Refresh

It sounds like what it is—a freshening up of existing visual elements rather than a fundamental change in appearance. If your label is simply trying to avoid looking outdated and improve sales within its existing market, this option can maximise shelf differentiation with minimal risk and time commitment. Common components of a refresh include:

• Logo alterations

• Minor font adjustments

• Subtle hue shifts within your brand’s existing palette

When their name ultimately confused consumers, Altar Spirits took action fast and renamed its brand, As Above So Below. Little else was changed and the distillery saw an uptick in sales following this simple refresh.

Redesign

A redesign is in order if your brand desires to stay true to its identity yet seeks to show another side of it. Rather than simply tweaking elements like in a refresh, a redesign targets the same visual components for visual restart, like:

• Changing your logo

• Replacing fonts

• Opting for new brand colours

It can also affect non-visual branding elements such as:

• Brand slogan

• Brand voice

• Brand messaging

When Bacardi redesigned its logo, it not only changed its visuals: it was paying respects to the brand’s rich history spanning over century. It’s slogan was also changed.

Rebrand

Rebranding goes beyond the surface and taps into core values and brand mission—though this does ultimately lead to radical design change. It typically follows a major event such as a merger, change in leadership, or entry into additional industries and can include new:

• Brand values/positioning

• Brand story/philosophy

• Brand mission

Malibu'‘s rebrand not only focused on a new logo, it also changed its bottle design and launched new products in hope of attracting a younger market.

Which Type of Revamp Does Your Spirits Packaging Need?

Understanding the basics of each type of design revamp is key to determining which one is best suited for your label. The degree of misalignment between your brand and your market is a trustworthy indicator of how radical your design shakeup needs to be. 

What to consider:

• The legacy and success of your brand. Rebranding and dramatic redesigns present a greater challenge to labels that have performed stronger, longer.

• The amount of time since your last revamp. The shorter the time lapse, the less work typically needs to be done. A periodic refresh is standard for most brands.

• The scale of your target market. If your goal is simply better sales within your current market, go with a simple refresh. If trying to tap into a new market, a redesign or even a rebrand may be in order.

• Additional product offerings. If your revamp is accompanied by new product offerings, consider a redesign. A rebrand may be necessary if those new offerings target a completely new market. 

Which Components of Spirits Packaging Should Your Distillery Focus On?

Considering 75% of consumers make alcohol purchasing decisions at the point of sale, prioritising packaging in any aesthetic change is a no-brainer: so how can distilleries implement a new brand image into packaging effectively? 

Here are a few fundamental components to focus on.

Primary Spirits Packaging

Whether at a bar, in a liquor store or other retail setting, most consumers will exclusively encounter the primary packaging of spirits bottles. What catches their attention most is:

Labels

In an industry where the primary material is glass, labels play a pivotal role in shelf differentiation. Colour, typography, texture—this is their main stage. You can include the following design techniques to make the most out of yours.

Foil stamping

Extremely popular in spirits packaging, foil stamping can help your brand stand out on the shelf and adds an instant touch of luxury to any label. 

Embossing & debossing

Adding texture to your primary packaging is a great tactic for getting consumers to handle your products. Contrasting gloss and matte finishes of raised and depressed surfaces is an easy way to add dimension without making your label design overly busy.

Old St. Pete, The Marksologist, and Royal Mead all showcase fine examples of hot foil stamping and debossing/embossing on their labels.

Glass

It’s true, glass is limiting—but not impossible—when it comes to customisation.

Bottle shape

A recent study suggests that bottle shape can be just as impactful in piquing curiosity at purchase time. Keep in mind that functionality will play a role in deciding what ultimately works for your brand.

While rectangular shapes offer the best labelling options, longer necks and rounded shapes are better for pouring grip and accuracy. Eclectic shapes are a surefire way to get noticed, though can make placement difficult on crowded shelves in bars and shops. 

Colour 

Is there a more iconic spirits bottle than Bombay Sapphire Gin? That gorgeous sky blue glass is arguably its most memorable feature. However, it’s important to recognise glass colour as a major design feature—any alteration must be carefully planned and in sync with the rest of the bottle’s design.

The intricately textured bottles of Toison Gin, need little else to grab consumer attention on the shelf.

Texture

The use of textured glass in spirits packaging ups the interest factor and perceived value of any bottle. As another major design change, an alteration like this needs very little else in terms of design.

Sustainability

Considering that it contributes 20-40% of the sector’s carbon footprint, packaging is where most brands have focused their eco-friendly efforts. The use of recycled glass in new bottle production is a growing trend among brands such as Teeling Whiskey and Mezcal Tequila which have moved to bottles featuring 75% and 100% recycled glass, respectively.

Aluminium cans

The skyrocketing popularity of hard seltzers and other RTDs has led many distilleries to venture into creating their own line of the beloved drink. These new product offerings demand new packaging forms and a new market to appeal to—meaning a significant redesign is in order.

Standup pouches

Who knew those shiny juice pouches we loved as children would someday hold our favourite adult beverages, too? In addition to aluminium cans, brands have turned to flexible pouches as an individual serving size option for RTD cocktails. And just as with cans, this addition signals major change in both packaging materials and brand aesthetics. 

High Noon makes good use of space on its multipack, displaying eye-catching design and text.

Secondary Spirits Packaging

Gift sets and multipacks add another layer of design revamp for your brand. Along with effectively grabbing consumer attention, secondary packaging design needs to factor in durability and handling ease.

Multipack boxes

As more distilleries add RTDs to their product lines, multipack boxes are becoming a staple of many brands’ packaging. If your label is implementing them for the first time (or giving existing multipacks a makeover) consider these factors. 

Graphics & messaging

With more space than bottle labels, cans, or pouches, multipack boxes provide distilleries the perfect canvas on which they can showcase their brand story and identity. Target your audience with stimulating graphics and relevant nutritional information to draw shoppers in.

Material

As spirits consumers’ demand for sustainable options grows, a design revamp is the perfect chance to leave old packaging standbys behind. Plastic shrink wrap and rings are being replaced with paperboard and clip-style multipacks, actually simplifying their printing process. 

Carrying mechanism

Easy carrying and transport is an important yet often overlooked consumer purchasing factor. In addition to including finger holes or a carrying handle, any revamp should take into account the weight and volume of multipack boxes as well as the type of store they will be sold in.

Limited edition/gift sets

In 2022, 52% of adults in the UK gifted someone with alcohol; that same year, alcohol was the #1 corporate gifted item. Furthermore, premiumisation has led to a staggering 171% uptick in sales of special and limited edition spirits.

Packaging for gift sets and limited editions is a fantastic way to experiment with a design revamp and reach new customers. According to recent industry insight, these design elements are trending in spirits sets for 2023: 

• Customised artwork

• Novel, non-rectangular shapes

• Sustainable materials

We were honoured to produce the award-winning packaging for Roe & Co’s Limited Edition Single Malt Irish Whiskey, Aged 13 years.

3 Musts For Revamping Spirits Packaging Effectively

Giving your spirits packaging a shakeup can be a surefire way to jumpstart better sales figures. But there are also plenty of ways it can go horribly wrong for your brand. The recent Bud Light debacle is the latest and most glaring example of how crucial it is for brands to get it right when it comes to altering their packaging. 

Research, research, research

Spirits packaging is your distillery's most powerful marketing tool—any design alteration should be preceded by ample consumer research. Industry trends, the buyer personas of your current market and any additional markets you plan on targeting should guide any visual revamp.

Embrace digital printing

Trying out new designs translates to several small test runs. Digital printing can produce multiple designs in a single run, without the time consuming  and costly setup of offset printing.  

It can also replicate up to 94% of the colour accuracy of offset printing and can even be used directly on primary packaging materials such as aluminium cans and flexible pouches.

Work with a packaging partner you can trust

Even the most on-target design will miss the mark if it doesn’t make the right impression at purchase time. Professional printers combine the artistic edge of an experienced design team with the practical expertise gained from years of producing functional packaging.

Sell More With Spirits Packaging From CoLab

Do you know what the #1 most-cited design regret is among distillers? Not revamping sooner. 

The good news? Taking that first step towards a new brand image has never been easier.

Enjoy award-winning design customised to your budget

You put valuable time and resources into creating quality spirits; we ensure your efforts pay off. CoLab balances award-winning design with cost-efficient practices to deliver packaging that sells more for your distillery.

Print multiple designs in a single run

Are you curious about trying out a new look—but dread the tedious design process? We combine years of solid design experience with the sophistication of HP Indigo’s 30000 Digital Press for stunning results—without mininum order quantities.

Give your label an eco-friendly makeover

Today’s spirits consumers expect sustainable packaging. Don’t disappoint. Combine gorgeous renewable materials with vegan inks and carbon-neutral printing to make the right impression, inside and out. 

Your New Brand Image Starts Here

Discover the latest trends for Irish distilleries just like yours, plus see how easy it is to revamp your packaging design.

It’s all waiting for you here.