Tubes, Cartons or nothing

[wandering pict]

Are malt whisky buyers interested in tubes or cartons or would they prefer just the bottle. Personally I don't see the point of it

[Wave]

It depends. If I'm buying the whisky here then tubes/boxes aren't a big deal but when I'm over in Scotland I want at least a cardboard box or better yet a metal tube so I can protect my precious cargo while in transit of the countryside and the flight home.


Cheers!

[Aidan]

I don't care, really.

[Thesh]

I like to keep them in the box to protect them from the light. If it was a choice between box/no box, for say $5, i would take the box.

[Frodo]

A tube/box is nice, but I'm not really bothered by not having one. It does make a gift look better if I'm buying it for that reason...

A thought just occured to me. If I was given the option of paying $5-10 more for a box or tube, I'd probably refuse if it was for me, accept if it was for a gift.

[pouranother]

I'm somewhat paranoid about my whisky. I need the box/tube, to prevent oxidation and exposure to light. I'm sure they're not around long enough to be a factor, but why take a chance.

[Bullie]

I'm missing the option 'Not important' or something like that. I'm more interested of what the bottle contains... But if there's a nice packaging, I sometimes save it...

[irishwhiskeychaser]

I don't really care for tubes etc. However I do get most of my whisky on the net so I like to see my bottles arriving in their own boxes as they are better protected. However I usually banish cardboard boxes to the bin once opened but for some reason I leave the bottles in their canister unless it is less than half full????

I definately get a bottle with a decent canister/box/tube if buying for a pressie though.


As said, what's in them counts

[Deactivated Member]

The quality of my life would improve if all whisky came in the same sized tubes as I would be able to store them more easily by stacking.

[mikeymad]

I do like some cartons/boxes. But it does not make a difference in my selection of the beverage. I guess that if they have two of the same bottle on the shelf, one with and one without, I would pick up the one with. Just for safety on the way home.

I do like my Bowmore Black dragon box, and a nice branded Macallan wood coffin. Those are just cool. But when the beverage is gone, so will the box and bottle.

[Richiyaado]

I'm with Bullie... to paraphrase, "It's the whisky, not the bottle."

[wandering pict]

Thanks for the replies, please encourage others to add their comments. I hadn't thought about the "charging extra for a nice box". Personally I think that the industry has used it as extra marketing and what it does is add extra cost - maybe the alternative should be a reduction for not taking the tube/carton?
Given the pressure on the environment we should be looking at alternatives. mmmmm

[Deactivated Member]

Why stop there? Let's go back to the days when the grocer had a cask from which you filled your own bottle.

[Thesh]

maybe the alternative should be a reduction for not taking the tube/carton?

No one is going to drop prices for a $0.50 piece of cardboard. As for environment, most paper is recycled and trees grow back.

[irishwhiskeychaser]

............. As for environment, most paper is recycled and trees grow back.

That's a bit simplistic....

Take the Amazon Rainforest which is the biggest forest in the world. This covers 3.4 million square miles and produces nearly 20% of our oxygen. The forest is being felled at an alarming rate.

More than half of the world's rainforests have been destroyed by fire to clear the land and logging in the last 50 years. Over 200,000 acres are burned every day around the world, or over 150 acres every minute. At this rate every whisky carton may count.

As Agent Smith said in the Matrix... Human beings are parasites ... maybe he has a point

[Thesh]

............. As for environment, most paper is recycled and trees grow back.

That's a bit simplistic....

Take the Amazon Rainforest which is the biggest forest in the world. This covers 3.4 million square miles and produces nearly 20% of our oxygen. The forest is being felled at an alarming rate.

More than half of the world's rainforests have been destroyed by fire to clear the land and logging in the last 50 years. Over 200,000 acres are burned every day around the world, or over 150 acres every minute. At this rate every whisky carton may count.

As Agent Smith said in the Matrix... Human beings are parasites ... maybe he has a point

Mother Nature started the war; floods, earth quakes, hurricanes... She can't go crying to mommy when she doesn't win.

[irishwhiskeychaser]

Mother Nature started the war; floods, earth quakes, hurricanes... She can't go crying to mommy when she doesn't win.

Your so cold hearted

[maverick]

the packaging has no effect on my purchases. As for the environment and recycling but I'm not a huge fan. (sure I recycle paper, but I think it's only because it would take up too much space in the regular trash bin)
I don't know where Irishwhiskeychaser got his stats but I have a friend who works in the "garbage" industry and he's told me many times that it's all just talk and that at the end of it all they just throw everything together anyway no matter what material.

Don't know if anybody here has watched a show called "Bullshit" with Penn and Teller, they did an episode on recycling and all that it entails.
(Some, not all) recycling might even do us more harm than good.

[jimidrammer]

I guess I'm the pathetic fool in the minority here. I actually backed out of a purchase, Laphroaig 30yo, because the wooden box was not with it. Also I like to have the boxes/tubes/tins on dispaly with the bottles since they can stay on the shelf up to a year and it's interesting to take them down and read the blurbs. I've saved a few that I knew wouldn't be replaced because I was planning on getting around to archiving pictures for my website, but they're packed in boxes themselves. I'm getting better about throwing them away, really I am.

[Paul A Jellis]

I usually buy from establishments where the bottles are on display, not the boxes, tubes etc., so the packaging makes absolutely no difference to my choice.

However, I do appreciate a sturdy tube or box to get my bottles home safety.

Cheers, Paul

[Deactivated Member]

Mr Picky has been after me to invest in some storage and display solutions for the vast mountain of detritus lying hereabouts, particularly bottles of whisky. In the meantime, I am glad that most of them are tubed or boxed. Of course I concur that contents are more important than packaging, but I think I am slightly less inclined to buy a naked bottle.

I told Mr Picky that if he ever used the word "solutions" like that again, I'd boot his butt into next Tuesday.

[kildalton]

Anyway in my opinion boxes or tubes are really important if You plan to store your bottles over a long period.

[lambda]

I do not choose my malts based on the package, but I do appreciate a nice box or tube. I think it looks rather nice next to or behind the bottle. A while ago, I decided to buy a bruichladdich 20 (first edition), which I found at a local liquorist. It wasn't exactly a friendly price and then when he told me he lost the tube for it, I told him to keep the bottle. He looked at me like I am a total idiot, but if I'm gonna spend money on a nice bottle, I do want the compete package if available.

Great stories for my future psychiatrist.

[Muskrat Portage]

I personally purchase whisky for the product. Although I do appreciate a tube or carton it is not intrinsically necessary. I am a bit disappointed when I find out after buying a naked bottle that there once was a tube, as I leave the bottles in their tube/box as a hedge against the angels share and light degredation in the lair.

As for storage, the Wiser 40 pounder boxes are ideal for storing bottles in tubes/boxes as they are taller and wider and take 12 of most containers easily.
Muskrat Pete

[Deactivated Member]

I agree with many before - its the whisky that matters.
However, I do like my bottles protected as much as possible so prefer some sort of packaging.
It would be nice if the packaging people could come up with a bio-degradable alternative though.

[dram_time]

I don’t buy based on packaging, but I must admit to looking at my bottles and thinking, ‘that one looks the nicest’ infact the wife often comments on the good/bad packaging !!

Have said before, for me the Signatory cask strength bottles are by far the best looking bottles and tins. Seem to think the bottles are made by glencairn ?? is that right ?? Loch lomond have a very nice bottle, but the contents are not very good !!

That said, nice packaging will always attract buyers, so I guess it is quite important.

Dt