Creating a unique bottle for your spirits can set your brand apart and create a memorable experience for your customers. When done well, having a custom glass bottle can help increase sales and better tell your story.
There have been several major surveys now that state that over half of drinkers are motivated to try new products because of the packaging. It clearly matters and it’s easy to see why too. Tactile, colourful, intricate and leaping out with personality – there are so many examples of great design work in the spirits industry!
However, the process of getting a custom-made glass bottle made involves several steps and a lot of factors that need to come together in order to reach the perfect outcome.
Here’s a mini-guide for producers to navigate the initial stages of this journey and some top tips for how to maximise the chances of creating something truly magnificent at the end of it.
Initial concept and early design
The first step in creating a custom bottle is to conceptualise and design it, but this requires a deep understanding of your brand identity. Often, brands rush into design stage without this foundational work, leading to missed opportunities and poorly articulate outcomes.
A bottle is more than a container; it’s a reflection of your brand’s mission, vision, and values. These elements should be clear and well-defined before you start the design process. Your mission defines your purpose, your vision outlines your future goals, and your values guide your decisions.
The design should tell the story of your spirit, align with your tone of voice, and highlight the unique aspects of your brand. By establishing a strong brand identity first, you will help the designer create a bottle that genuinely represents your brand and connects with your audience.
This thoughtful approach will also save time and money, reducing revisions and enhancing overall effectiveness in your branding efforts.
If you are an existing brand looking to move to a custom glass solution, go through the process of gaining clarity over your messaging, your audience and your vision for where it’s headed first. Call it a re-focussing exercise if you want to, but there’s no point re-branding unless it brings you closer to your core values and to the core reason drinkers will buy into you.
It is the best way to centre yourself ahead of the process, as well as to brief the bottle designer as to what you are looking for.
Practical areas to get informed about ahead of design phase
Having a confident grasp over the practical elements of your bottle design is also essential before entering the design phase. Considerations such as ease of pouring, handling, weight, and storage can significantly impact the functionality and consumer experience of your product.
For example, a bottle with an awkward shape or heavy weight may be difficult to pour and handle and be the opposite of what you are aiming for say, a speed pour product (well pour for American readers). It might be perfect in other scenarios.
Similarly, the bottle’s size—whether it’s a 50cl, 70cl, 75cl, or 1L format—will influence not only the consumer’s perception of value but also how the bottle fits on retail shelves and in consumers’ homes. It’s basic real-life context and real life situational awareness and something you should design for and brief in pre-emptively, not adjust to later on.
Don’t forget the legals!
Understanding the legal requirements at this stage is also a factor. Each market has specific regulations regarding messaging, minimum sizing of components, labelling, duty markings and other information to include that must be adhered to.
While your design team can provide detailed guidance on these requirements, having a solid understanding yourself will streamline the process and ensure that all legal considerations are incorporated from the outset.
At the end of the day, you are liable not the agency. You need to know your legal obligations as if they make an honest mistake and forget something, you are the one dealing with fines, recalls and footing the bill…
Not only will a proactive approach help avoid costly redesigns and compliance issues down the line, but it’ll also get you thinking about the route to market itself and what others need (barcodes, recycling etc). Have you factored in the full chain into your design brief?
Bonus question: If you are printing direct onto glass, have you got sign off from the likes of the TTB (in the USA) or other regional authority that might need to be involved before you start the glass run?
Finding the right designer for custom glass
Finding the right designer is the obvious big step in bringing your custom glass bottle vision to life. And it’s worth remembering that glass and bottle design is a specific skill set. Those who excel in creating brand identities, websites, and other creative content may not necessarily be best suited for this task. There are specialists, multidisciplinary studios and more – and not all design work is valid as experience here.
It’s essential to seek out designers with an affinity for the spirits industry too, as they have a better understanding of the functional requirements and aesthetic trends unique to this market.
Ideally, look for designers who have worked with the glass manufacturer you intend to use. Each manufacturer has its own quirks and capabilities, and a designer familiar with these nuances can navigate the process more effectively.
Additionally, ensure you have a clear understanding of the full budget being suggested, including costs for each stage of the process and any revisions. This transparency will help you manage your investment and expectations, leading to a smoother and more successful design journey.
Some initial budgeting to set the expectation level
The reality of getting a designer who knows what they are doing and who can guide you through a custom glass creation, is that it will cost you well over £25,000.
Some agencies are four times more, but at an entry level for bespoke glass from ideation through to signing off the molds – you are in for at least that. And that’s not counting what the glass blowers are going to charge for their part in the process.
In terms of the glass manufacturer’s costs – you are looking at around £5000 – £10,000 for a pilot mold, and £15,000 – £20,000 for a production mould. Again, it varies on complexity and per supplier.
Minimum order numbers will vary from as little as 15,000 units all the way to 40,000. Far more pertinent is the run rate you expect to be going through as that will influence cost per unit and how to set up both the financing and supply arrangements.
Going custom isn’t cheap. Between agency and glass manufacturer, you are looking at around £50,000 to go from inception to pallets being unloaded at the distillery door – cost of bottles excluded! Go into the process with that in mind, rather than cut corners and compromise once the bills rack up.
Key considerations and common pitfalls in prototyping and tooling for custom glass
One often overlooked aspect of the prototyping and tooling stage is the timeline. Developing and refining prototypes can take several months. It’s not uncommon for this process to involve one or two revisions if the initial designs are not perfect either.
Each revision can incur additional costs, so it’s financially prudent to hone your design as much as possible before moving forward. Spend the money on 3d visualisations for example, work with the glass manufacturer to get their modelling up to scratch. If glass colour and decoration will play a large factor, run tests on stock bottles if possible.
This meticulous preparation saves both time and money in the long term.
This stage is also where the practical numbers start to significantly impact the project. Factors such as how many bottles fit on a pallet, the weight of each bottle, the vacuity and how that impacts the closures, the fill pressure they can withstand or the way that cleaning and filling will need to be done all become evident.
These practical elements affect not only the production logistics day to day, but also the overall cost and efficiency of shipping and storage.
Properly addressing these details during the prototyping phase ensures that the final bottle design is not only aesthetically pleasing and functional, but also logistically viable for large-scale production and distribution.
Half a cm here or there, or a few degrees of difference in the angles, the height or thickness punt or other might not sound like a big change. But small increments rack up into another row on a pallet, another 100kgs on an order, higher carbon footprint and so on…
Realities of decoration and production line considerations
During the prototyping and tooling stage, it’s essential to clarify the realities of bottle decoration. What will be handled by the glass blowers versus what will need to be applied at the distillery post-production? How much is “built in” to the design?
Consider elements like coating, embossing, de-bossing, and direct printing on the glass. These decorative features can significantly enhance the aesthetic appeal of your bottle.
Clearly, they may cost more to do upfront and add to the unit cost of the bottle. However, when you look at it cumulatively, it could well save you time and money as it’ll either allow you to avoid further embellishment work at a later stage, or reduce the amount you need to implement post filling.
Remember that repetitive, detailed work can significantly add to the complexity and cost of your production process. It’s important to weigh these factors carefully.
Go into this consciously and understand the consequences of your design choices and the way that a custom glass shape may impact on bottling lines etc.
Ensure they align with your operational capabilities and financial goals.
What something looks like on-screen vs what it takes to make it happen in real life will make you reconsider labels, neck tags, strings, rings, metal bolt ons… Each one isn’t just a cost to buy the materials, it’s also additional costs and time to apply.
So many great designs come undone at bottling and fulfilment stage, as so few designers ever think of the practicalities involved in day to day operations. Meanwhile, new distilleries launching into market don’t know better as they haven’t done it yet.
So, if you are going custom, why not take the opportunity of making your post fill process as simple as possible? Get as close to the finished item as possible and look to get as much done by your partner glass manufacturer as they can offer. Incidentally, most now have decoration experts in house that can advise you on this too.
Production and beyond
Beyond those initial phases, you’ll be locked into a standard supply agreement with your chosen manufacturer.
While most of the deciding factors as to who you want to work with will have been part of the discussions you have had to get to this point, it’s worth re-iterating how much sustainability should play a factor in who you choose and what your bottle outcome is like.
Let’s be blunt about this. It might be cheaper to get a custom glass mold there, but incredibly cheap super flint glass from China has a very real environmental cost.
Consider using a high % recycled glass and minimising the distance you have to ship to get your bottles. Ask about your glass blower’s sustainability endeavours, the working conditions and investigate the implications of their production methods.
Spoiler alert, if it sounds too good to be true – it is. There are always compromises to be made here as none are perfect.
As mentioned earlier in this article, all suppliers will have minimum order quantities. But it’s worth noting that some may agree to amortise the costs against a certain amount of bottles to help pay for the initial costs of the molds. It depends on your run rate and financing situation.
Whoever you pick and whatever agreement in place – remember to implement stringent quality control measures to ensure each bottle meets your specifications. Inspect the bottles for consistency in shape, size, and clarity.
Again, incredibly cheap glass comes at a cost – and in many cases, that’s consistency.
Two key considerations for craft distillers once in their custom glass bottles are in production
Up to this point we’ve covered the early process and pitfalls at length. Overall through, once you are up and running, plan for these factors to be of high importance and pay attention to the following:
Cost and inventory management:
Unit costs aside, keep in mind the total volume each run (new order) will involve. The way you have to work with a supplier is very different than ordering off the peg options. Namely, bespoke glass is not delivered in whatever quantity you want, as and when needed.
It involves a lot more forecasting and a different way to outlay cashflow.
If you are doing it right, it should empower you and allow you to grow. That said if you don’t factor it in, you can find yourself in the worst of situations; unable to afford to buy a big run of custom glass, unable to get the supplier to provide less and stuck with nothing to sell…
Plan your production runs to optimise economies of scale.
Supplier relationships:
Build strong relationships with your manufacturers. Clear communication can prevent misunderstandings and delays. The timeline is totally different on bespoke bottle runs.
Book your slots well in advance and work with them to ensure continuity of supply.
Engage with the process not just the end outcome
This insight will help you focus on a few of the most important aspects that lie ahead in the journey of crafting your bottle.
There are many more challenges that emerge along the way – but that’s the fun of it all. It’s why it’s a time consuming and creatively demanding process! The results are worth it however. A custom bottle not only looks stunning but it also enhances your brand’s market presence.
But remember, that this is only true if you approach making it with the care and due diligence you spend on crafting the liquid inside. Take a moment to understand your Tone of Voice, Brand Values & Vision and how your bottle fits into a wider Marketing Strategy before you begin the design process.
