Bill Owens

Labels and Bottles of the Craft Spirits Industry Bill Owens

There is nothing that outwardly conveys the identity of a craft distilled spirit more than its label. It is the calling card that gives the consumer a hint about what is inside the bottle. And it speaks volumes about the individuality of the distillery, the distiller who made it, and why. It is in the frontier between strict federal legal requirements and the limits of tired, traditional post-Prohibition labels where an unprecedented creativity in label design is now occurring. It is quite an exciting time in the distilled spirits industry as there are now well over 254 craft distilleries in the United States. As more distilleries are added to that list, we will continue to see a surge in creativity in both the products produced and the labels designed to grace the front of each bottle.