Category — Packaging

The latest limited edition designer collaboration is between Chivas Regal and British fashion designer Alexander McQueen. McQueen’s design features royal blue leather detailing and comes topped with a hand-enamelled cap in the colours of the Union Jack flag. Individually numbered in a limited edition run of 2,000 bottles. 300 pounds, or roughly $490.00

We went to the Absolut Masquerade Pop-Up bar/space/vintage fashion store for the opening night and over the weekend on Redchurch Street in London. Inconjunction with designer Daisy De Villeneuve and Mint vintage clothes store Absolut took over a space and decked it out with varying sizes of the limited edition sequinned Absolut bottle, free cocktails and vintage clothes for punters to try on. It was fun. Cocktails however were on the average and unimaginative side- vodka and tonic and a cosmo anyone? But all in all it was kinda cool and looked great. We particularly loved the Konstantin Grcic cocktail glasses. There must be a warehouse full somewhere left over from last year.  More pics after the jump…

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Graphic designer Ricky Salsberry is behind this range of newly designed environmentally-friendly aluminum bottles for Great Lakes Brewery. Rebranding of Great Lakes Brewery includes new mark and packaging with an updated set of panoramic black & white photography or illustrations for the case and bottle. www.greatlakesbrewing.com/

Hailing from the former Soviet republic of Moldova is this wheat based, honey flavored vodka, packaged in the shape of a fire extinguisher complete with locking pin, trigger and nozzle. We were expecting the vodka to be flavored or infused with chili or spices to make sense of the name and bottle - but alas no - so we assume it references starting your night off with a bang. That or they are huge Prodigy fans in Moldova.

Amaze and ridiculous at the same time.

It is imported to the US by Kodiak Imports and is available in LA clubs and bars where they promoted it with Firestarter promo girls dressed like this.

I think this might be the start of a new series of posts on preposterous packaging. Be warned.

Belvedere asked students at the Danish Design School to design a new Danzka Vodka bottle for the duty free market. The winner was this beautiful snowflake design. Nice work.  Anyone know the name of the winning student designer? We would like to give them props.

Luxury sneaker brand, Jhung Yuro has created a one-of-a-kind pair of limited edition sneakers for luxury cognac brand Hennessy called The Hennessy Celebration Hi-Top. The Hennessy Celebration Hi-Top is made from soft full grain leather with a cow suede tongue. Color blocked with cognac brown and cream.

The Hennessy Celebration Hi-Top will retail for $300 and will be available exclusively at JhunYuro.com beginning Monday, December 1st 2008. The Hennessy Celebration Hi-Top is a limited edition shoe with only 500 pairs being made available in the US.

[via www.highsnobiety.com]

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Available in the US towards the end of the year are these cool new aluminum bottles for Miller Lite. Following in the footsteps of Bud Lite these new 16oz (a pint) bottles are recyclable and said to keep the beer cooler for longer. They are being sold in packs of 9. We approve.

Why aren’t the UK doing this? The fact they are pint sized would totally help the being given flimsy plastic glasses problem when you drink outside.

Why has this taken them so long? It’s not rocket science is it? Everyone knows that coke tastes better out of the glass bottles and everyone knows that its a pain in the ass to buy a glass bottle and then hope the store has an opener. And then not be able to reseal it.

Well anyway they have finally done it - Coca-Cola in a glass bottle with a screwtop - and it looks good.  Not quite the iconic bottle design we love but hey it’s better than nothing. Oh and it’s only available in the US sold in a 12 fl. oz. (355ml) glass bottle in a 6 pack (72 fl. oz. total).

We say: It’s almost like the moon landing.

We are long time fans of the Swedish Blossa Glögg brand, so we were happy to see their new limited edition bottle for 2008 is a great addition to their annual range. The Scandinavian mulled wine will go on sale on the 3rd of November. Half a million of the 08 bottles are being produced and are expected to sell out fast! [Read more →]

French designer Inga Sempe has been commissioned to design a new bottle and package for the ultra luxury cognac Richard Hennessy. The cognac is a unique blend of more than 100 exceptional eaux-de-vie. The oldest of these are extremely rare and date back to the early 19th century. Each carafe is numbered and made in pure, hand-blown crystal by the most skilled glassblowers at Baccarat. Unsurprisingly, the cognac has a rather scary price tag of £2500per bottle! More images after the jump…

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Cachaça Kaballa is packaged in a highly unusual porcelain bottle made to look like sticks of sugar cane! Available in Brasil for $65. http://www.cachacakaballa.com.br/

Absolut Summer is the first ever UK specific Absolut Vodka gift pack. The fun white plastic bottle features a colourful butterfly design. Brits can pick up one of the limited edition bottles at their local branch of Sainsbury’s.

To celebrate the handover of the Olympic torch from Beijing to London, British photographer Rankin has collaborated with Coa-Cola for a limited edition bottle available exclusively at Selfridges for £1.99.

Rankin says:

“As a Londoner, I love what the city represents - the vibrancy, the strength and the energy - so to reflect that with an image, which also represents the Olympics, was a fantastically exciting challenge for me as a photographer. It was made even more compelling for me to do it in collaboration with Coca-Cola, and using the iconic contours and shape of the glass bottle.”

We say: Photography on a bottle makes a nice change from the usual illustrations.

Due to be released next month to celebrate the hunting season are these camo cans from Miller High Life. Not something you would likely see in Europe.

Check out the multi-pack packaging from last year after the jump.

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We love these new Marble POP drinks, inspired by the classic Japanese “ramune” bottles which are recognized for their unusual bottles. Each Marble POP bottle features a marble seal closure which is held in place by the carbonation of the beverage and is pushed open with a special stopper. The innovative pinch in the neck of the bottle allows the drink to flow out while the marble stays in place. Available in Strawberry, Blueberry, Original Flavor and Green Apple across the USA, we think these bottles are beyond cool.

Domo-kun is the cute brown Japanese character which became a cult mascot of NHK’s BS2 (Japanese satellite channel). All manner of Domo-kun branded merchandise is sold, from toys to cell phones…. and now energy drinks.

The new Domoooo! Bubblegum flavored Energy Drink is sold on 250ml cans and features a huge Domo head on each can. Distributed in the USA by Boston America Corp, the drink is sold at a suggested retail price is $2.99

Roberto Cavalli is the latest designer to team up with Coca-Cola to create a run of 300,000 bottles limited edition bottles. The products feature Cavalli’s classic animal print style and will be sold exclusivly in the Italian market.

The Beijing Olympics 2008 has finally begun. To celebrate here are the Coca-Cola Olympic LTD edition bottles. Nice work.

There is ultra premium then there is the Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl. Priced at £20,000 a magnum bottle, the 100 year old cognac is bottled in a hand blown black crystal decanter. Available at Selfridges.

Wow.

Absolut have launched yet another LTD edition. This time it’s in honour of Tinseltown and it’s the first time that Absolut have embraced super-fruits as an ingredient, using Acerola, Acai, Pomegranate and blueberry (when they do something they do it properly!). Not sure who has created the bottle design. Check out the print ad after the jump…

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