A new sustainable British vodka has been launched in a bespoke embossed amber glass bottle designed and manufactured by Beatson Clark. Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka is the first new product to be launched by Ellers Farm Distillery near York.
Sustainability is at the heart of this new distillery, which is why Ellers Farm chose Beatson Clark to create the bottle for its new vodka.
The distillery wanted high recycled content in its bottles to cut down on the use of raw materials, and amber glass is known to offer protection to the contents. Beatson Clark’s amber glass is made of over 60% recycled materials.
Ellers Farm commissioned research from the University of York’s Biorenewables Development Centre which showed a number of specific flavour compounds were degraded when stored in clear glass, yet not observed in the amber glass. The flavour of the vodka stored in amber glass was closest to the vodka in the original sample.
‘Some spirits companies import their bottles from China as it can be cheaper, but one of our key tenets is to have a low and positive environmental impact wherever we can, so we are sourcing locally to reduce emissions from transportation,’ said Tabatha Hurst, head of sustainability at Ellers Farm Distillery.
‘Beatson Clark came up in a search and it is a great business to work with – a Yorkshire business too! We knew it could provide a bottle with high recycled content, and the fact it is in amber glass means that the flavour of the vodka is as close as possible to the flavour the moment it comes out of the still.
‘We also decided to print directly onto the bottle rather than create a separate label, in order to minimise our overall use of packaging materials. The printing uses plant based inks that will burn off when the glass is recycled.’
Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka is made using British apple juice balanced with a touch of potato spirit. The brand takes its name from the Dutch barn which houses the distillery.
Managing director Andy Braithwaite decided to replace the existing dilapidated Dutch barn with a new one – the shape of the roof lends itself to distilling because of its height.
The Ellers Farm logo also features an owl, as a breeding pair of barn owls reside in an oak tree near the distillery.
The bespoke 700 ml bottle itself has an unusual appearance, as it is made from amber glass and has a wider than usual neck.
The printed design applied by Yorkshire Bottle Solutions features a semi-metallic matt copper background showing the orchard and the Dutch barn with text in white, and the distillery’s owl logo is embossed on the base.
‘It looks very different to other spirits bottles on the shelf, and it has a clean design which reflects the down to earth way we talk to people and the products we’re making,’ said Tabatha.
‘It is a simple design, fantastic quality, it looks great, and it ticks all the credentials we care about: sustainability and the quality of the product inside.
Beatson Clark has been really helpful along the way. We went to the company with a prototype and it helped to take our first views and ideas of what the bottle should look like and brought them to life.’
Jonathan Clark, account manager at Beatson Clark, said: ‘Beatson Clark and Ellers Farm are a perfect fit: we have been able to create a beautiful bespoke bottle which really lifts the product, and at the same time we have met the customer’s exacting sustainability requirements.
‘It has been fantastic to collaborate on this project and we are looking forward to working with other niche spirits brands this year.’
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Ellers Farm Distillery - https://www.ellersfarmdistillery.com
Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka - https://shop.ellersfarmdistillery.com/products/dutch-barn-vodka-orchard-vodka
Beatson Clark - https://www.beatsonclark.co.uk
University of York’s Biorenewables Development Centre - https://www.york.ac.uk/business/facilities-and-services/biorenewables-development-centre/