4 ms·
I'd say that either a) keeping it out of direct sunlight (e.g. in a warehouse or a shop) or b) making the bottles more opaque, would be a more ecologically frie
by raesene9 6y ago
I'd say that either a) keeping it out of direct sunlight (e.g. in a warehouse or a shop) or b) making the bottles more opaque, would be a more ecologically friendly option? Apart from display bottles, it doesn't seem like that likely that during the sales process, it would need to be outside for extended periods of time.
The heavy embossed metal or cardboard used doesn't seem to me, to come from that requirement, more a marketing thing to signal a "premium" product (the more expensive the whisky, often the more elaborate the packaging)
- throwaway5752 6y agoGlass is problematic for shipping, storage, and service. Cardboard would probably be somewhat welcome at bars and restaurants. Maybe they could have glass bottles that costs for egoists that treat it like a collectible. I am a whisk(e)y drinker and collector.
- raesene9 6y agoGlass is what they already ship, store and service whisky in... I'd be interested to see if they could get cardboard working without it affecting the taste.
- throwaway5752 6y agoLike I mentioned, I drink and buy whiskey so I know it is sold in glass. Maybe I was unclear, but I think glass is less than ideal for the reasons I mentioned. Specifically here we are talking Johnnie Walker Black per the article's picture. This is a lower end high volume offering, though it's just fine. But I am convinced that Diageo, which has a market cap of over $300B USD, had done some due diligence on the matter.
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- Arainach 6y agoDistillers have little to no control over what stores their product is sold in and how those stores are setup (for these purposes, "direct sunlight" includes coming through a window, so it's more likely than you'd think). If a consumer buys a bottle of whisky and it's oxidized, they're not going to think "that store was poor", their first reaction will be "this whisky is poor" and to be turned off the brand. Packaging isn't worth that risk to the brand. Opaque bottles have their own complications - no type of glass will be sufficient and other materials (aluminum, etc.) have different costs/impact on flavor/affect of alcohol on the container over time. I'm sure they're putting in plenty of research and I'm curious to see how this turns out. Cardboard is a surprising choice to me. I was at Microsoft when they first started switching from styrofoam/plastic to compostable serving ware, and while they eventually fixed the problem of spoons melting in your soup, they never did find a compostable cup that wouldn't start dissolving if you put liquor in it (you could drink it fast, but it would be dripping within half an hour and a major problem if left for more than an hour)
- tomcam 6y agoAh, just how often was drinking liquor out of a compostable cup a problem for you at Microsoft? I worked there too and the strongest thing I ever had was Mtn. Dew....