Whiskey Bottle's Switch to PET Brings Updated Look, Improved Production

Chalk up yet another packaging conversion from glass to plastic as Hiram Walker & Sons, Ltd. (Windsor, Ontario) has switched over to a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle for its Old Smuggler brand. The packaging change for the 1.75-L size whiskey brings an updated image to the brand as well as significant lightweighting.

The new PET bottle, from Schmalbach-Lubeca, Plastic Containers USA (Manchester, MI), is similar in shape to the previous glass version, however, according to Hiram Walker's Brad Stirling, supply manager of packaging, it incorporates "several design elements to give it marketing appeal and to make it more efficient on the production line."

Due to the lighter weight of the PET container, as compared to its glass predecessor, the bottle needed the right weight distribution in order to move through Hiram Walker's Fort Smith, AR, production line in a stable, vertical position. "We worked together to design a container with two contact points — one at the shoulder and the other at the base," said Hiram Walker's Rick DeHem, bottling engineering technologist, who worked closely with Schmalbach-Lubeca's design staff to ensure the design elements contributed to the production efficiency.

The switch from glass to PET also enabled Hiram Walker yet another benefit. The company was able to go to a standard 33 mm finish, which reduced closure costs. The previous glass 1.75-liter bottle had required a custom closure to accommodate the finish.

The PET liquor bottles, of course, also offer the expected advantages associated with switching from conventional glass bottles such as lighter weight, freight savings and production-line friendliness, i.e., minimized downtime due to container breakage. Moreover, they provide clarity, shatter-resistance and design flexibility.

Craig Johnson, brand manager for Hiram Walker, sums up the packaging change: "The new bottle still retains the Old Smuggler brand identity while creating a more contemporary look. We think the new package will create a more vibrant shelf presence, increase consumer take-away and increase profitability."

In short, he believes Hiram Walker will sell more Old Smuggler due to the packaging change.

For more information: Schmalbach-Lubeca, Plastic Containers USA, 10521 S. Hwy. M-52, Manchester, MI 48158, Tel: 734-428-4515, Fax: 734-428-4622.

Edited by Bill Noone