An observation...

[Admiral]

Over on one of the other threads, I was remarking how the Dimple bottle & label has not changed for decades, and also that the Johnnie Walker bottles & labels haven't changed for decades (over a century, in fact!).

This then got me thinking about how all the big single malts seem to change their packaging every few years. Very recently we've seen complete re-workings of the bottles and/or labels for Bowmore, Macallan, Glenfarclas, Glenfiddich, Scapa, etc, etc....

Isn't it interesting how blends tend to keep their packaging unchanged for so many years, yet single malts generally seem to continually re-badge themselves.

I know that the distilleries tend to change hands and come under new ownership much more regularly than blend brands do, but clearly the marketing people figure that single malts need a facelift every few years.

Cheers,
ADmiral

[bond]

Could have something to do with the fact that most blended whisky drinkers rarely shift loyalties. I notice several such people around who would ONLY drink a J W Black, Chivas or J & B regardless of what else is on offer.

Most malt whisky folks not only have multiple favourites but also varied preferences depending on weather, mood, need for variety etc etc. Guess the marketing folks do have a tighter job on hand to retain loyalties. As a marketing guy myself, I must concede its tough to sell to a target market where a large part of the population is knowledgable

Cheers,

Bond

P.S : As an aside Admiral, I do recollect a post by you a few years ago on a subtle change in the JW logo. The direction of the walk was altered a few decades ago?

[Admiral]

Hi Bond,

You have, as always, a good memory! Yes, they did change the direction of the striding gent. He used to walk from right to left, but they flipped him around so that he strode from left to right, therefore seemingly "going forward".

I guess whilst the logo was altered, the shape of the bottle and the basic label design still remain unchanged after more than 100 years!

Cheers,
ADmiral

[Lawrence]

Over on one of the other threads, I was remarking how the Dimple bottle & label has not changed for decades, and also that the Johnnie Walker bottles & labels haven't changed for decades (over a century, in fact!).

This then got me thinking about how all the big single malts seem to change their packaging every few years. Very recently we've seen complete re-workings of the bottles and/or labels for Bowmore, Macallan, Glenfarclas, Glenfiddich, Scapa, etc, etc....

Isn't it interesting how blends tend to keep their packaging unchanged for so many years, yet single malts generally seem to continually re-badge themselves.

I know that the distilleries tend to change hands and come under new ownership much more regularly than blend brands do, but clearly the marketing people figure that single malts need a facelift every few years.

Cheers,
ADmiral

As it was recently explained to me in regards to single malts which are all the rage right now (blends were all the rage post war until about the 1970's??) is that a marketing person joins a label, brand, distillery etc, builds up the brand and then uses that success to move onto the next bigger thing in the drinks business, like a ladder, on and on, ever upwards but never staying.

It's not the image of single malts we hold, at all. I like the image in my mind much more.

[bamber]

Malt drinkers like variety, but blend drinkers want consistency (as Bond said) ?

[Reggaeblues]

I fell in love with the Laavulin label when given a bottle...before I'd even tasted that , or any other malt...and the wording: "...as fine as new milk!"

May it never change! Nor the stark monochrome of Laphroaig...nor the austere Viking green of Ardbeg!!

...come to think of it Glenmorangie has stayed the same too, these last 8 years of my maltmania...ditto Glenfiddich. If only their whisky was as memorable as their triangular bottle (well, the solera ain't bad to be fair...)

Prefer the OLD macallan bottle meself. New one looks like it's about to fall over! Don't mind the new Bowmore packaging, unlike some, but that's probably because the contents I sampled recently were glorious.

[Admiral]

...ditto Glenfiddich

The Glenfiddich bottle may not have changed, but the packaging it comes in has changed three times in the last two years here!!!!

For decades, it came in the circular black tube, then they changed it to a two rectangular halves that didn't meet in the middle (thereby revealing the bottle), and then it changed again to a yellow/green tube. And now, every now and then, I see the black tube again.

Cheers,
ADmiral