Allied Glass Containers has recently celebrated success in the 2011 UK Packaging Awards winning the glass pack of the year category with The Naked Grouse bottle from The Edrington Group. Following up on its success in 2010 storming the category this year as outright winner, the judges loved the uncluttered design and said that even without a label, it represents The Famous Grouse name with great integrity. Designed to break the boundaries of traditional whisky packaging, The Naked Grouse exudes premium values whilst achieving a modern image. This is realised not by relying upon the use of weight to add value but by designing a right-weight container with almost no labelling, making the product the hero, without the use of unnecessary packaging. In order to achieve instant brand recognition on shelf, the iconic grouse image was debossed onto the face of the bottle. Particular care was taken with the creation of the detail in the deboss, as it is so intrinsically linked with the brand. The designers at Allied Glass conscious of the need to have the visual effect of a bird married 3d modelling technology with traditional craftsmanship, to ensure the moulding was intricate and as accurate as possible. This involved hand chipping the feathered detail, to give a non-uniform natural appearance. The bottle also has some hidden design features which are left to be discovered by the consumer. Once inverted the base of the bottle reveals a beautifully embossed grouse footprint and the words "please recycle" are in place of the traditional stipple.
