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4 Exciting ways to label your spirit

Every business owner is aware that great packaging is invaluable to the sale of their products. If you manufacture spirits, wine or beer, you might believe that your options are limited because all your packaging consists of is a simple label.

If you manufacture spirits, wine or beer, you might believe that your options are limited because all your packaging consists of is a simple label.

After all, it’s hard to compete for potential customers when each bottle is stacked side by side in stores. So what is it that makes a customer choose to lift one bottle from the shelf over another?

In this article we cover what you need to include on your alcoholic drink labels and the many designs and features available to embellish your product and make your brand stand out from the crowd.

Before we get to the fun stuff, we need to talk about regulations, so let’s begin!

 

What are spirit labelling requirements in the UK?

If you manufacture spirits in the UK, you have to comply with labelling requirements. 

All this means is that the ingredient and production information of your product needs to be displayed somewhere on the bottle. 

 

What alcoholic beverages class a spirit?

Spirits are beverages that are produced through a distilling process and have an alcoholic content of at least 20% ABV. Some examples of spirits are:

  • Whisky
  • Gin
  • Rum
  • Tequila
  • Vodka

 

Product Information

As is the case with most standard food and drink packaging, you will need to include production and ingredient details on the labels of your beverage. Here are the details you need to include on spirit labels:

  • Name and address of producer
  • Country of origin
  • Quantity of the beverage
  • Alcoholic strength by volume
  • Allergy information
  • Use by date

 

Drinking guidelines

It is also necessary for you to include consumption guidance on your product, which means the recommended daily units for men and women.

As alcohol abuse can lead to health issues, it’s public policy that manufacturers inform their consumers on how much of their product is safe to drink, daily and weekly, as well as risks to pregnant consumers.

It’s your responsibility to include this on your product packaging, so it’s crucial that you factor it into label design.

While it’s not currently a legal requirement, you might also want to reference www.drinkaware.co.uk, as it will never hurt your brand image to promote safe and responsible drinking.

 

Brand imagery and alcohol safety

While you want your packaging to express your brand, when it comes to labelling spirits you need to be careful.

You might want your message to be playful and entertaining, but you cannot promote or glamorise anti-social behaviours.

If your product encourages this behaviour, your business could find itself liable for any issues caused, having breached labelling guidelines, and you could find yourself in legal trouble, so take great care when forming your brand messaging.

 

Now you’ve factored in the necessary information, it’s time for the fun part!

Here are 4 ways you can make your spirit packaging exciting, so your product stands out from your competitors.

 

1. Shape of Label

When it comes to designing your beverage label, you may want to start with the basics: the shape of the label itself.

It sounds simple but the shape of the label on your bottle, with all your product and brand information printed on, is usually the first impression your customer has of your brand.

Positioned side by side, a bottle with a standard square shaped label, may well be less appealing than a bottle that has an interesting bespoke label that ties in with the brand.

Land of Saints

Take the above bottle from The Cornish Spirits Drink Company. They wanted a label that broke the usual square silhouette, while representing their proud Cornish heritage.

By tinkering with your label’s shape, you can both catch shoppers’ attention, and tell a unique story, all at the same time.

The design possibilities are endless. Need advice on designing your own unique spirit label? Talk to our experts for some added inspiration.

 

2. Embossing or metallic foiling.

Embossing or metallic foiling are excellent options for a brand wanting to give their product that extra wow factor.

Embossed label printing is achieved through the use of die casts, which apply pressure to the paper label to raise part of your design, creating depth and movement to make it stand out.

Metallic foiling is an excellent pairing with embossing, adding an irresistible shine or sparkle to lettering or imagery, highlighting the information you want your customer to see as they are walking down the shopping aisle. No magpie could resist!

Metallic foiling can be applied in a multitude of colours, from classic gold or silver, to more intriguing options like green or purple. It depends entirely on the look of your brand, but you’re definitely not short of options.Sun Bear Spirits

When Sun Bear Spirits were looking for something unique for their premium range of spirits, they chose to embolden their label by embossing their product name with a gold finish – a nice touch, if you ask us!

3. Swing tags

A swing tag is a gift label attached to the neck of your bottle with string or ribbon, and because it’s separate to your main label design, it helps to break your bottle’s silhouette and draw potential customers in.

Swing tags also appeal to a browsing shopper because of its convenience. They can turn the tag and read about your drink without having to lift it off the shelf.

Swing tags are a great option for spirit distillers running promotional campaigns, because they can be added to your bottles without altering your main label design and they can be used to display promotions or competitions.

There are endless options when it comes to the design of a swing tag, from material to shape. The tag could be made of plastic, or die cut, featuring embossed lettering or metallic foiling.

CeroCero

See the above example from our friends over at Spirits of Virtue, who featured a premium swing tag on their non-alcoholic spirit, CeroCero, adding gravitas and personality to the bottle.

 

4. NFC Smart Labels

In an age where technology is connected to everything, especially consumer choices,

combining your packaging to with your online presence is a fantastic way to expand your brand visibility. But how is it done? 

NFC Smart Labels contain a tiny chip that can be scanned with the use of a smart phone. By holding a phone over the label, it will instantly register the product and take the customer to a page sharing your brand and product information. 

NFC Smart Labels offer you the chance to share information and campaign material you can’t include on the label. This could be other drinks your brand manufactures, a page on your brand history and story, recipes, or a social media page. 

You can find out exactly how Gin.co.uk used NFC smart labels to their advantage by clicking here

 

Reimagine your spirit labels

The sooner you decide to improve your spirit labels, the sooner they can be out on the shelves, helping you to disrupt the market and boost sales.

At Premier Labels, we have over 30 years of spirit labelling experience, offering end-to-end services on every aspect of label production, from consultancy to design.

To experience our expert label production first hand, request a free sample.

If you have any further questions, or want advice on where to begin with your spirit label design, get in touch with one of our friendly specialists.

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