The look and feel of a bottle of spirits is just as essential and exciting as the liquid contained inside. Luckily, the industry is producing some breathtaking examples to catch consumers’ eyes.
These were the designs that impressed across aesthetics, functionality and sustainability
Modern packaging and design are about so much more than aesthetics. Today’s products should not only look beautiful, but stand out against competitors’, be fit for purpose in homes and behind the bar, and, crucially, take sustainability seriously. It’s no easy feat.
And in The Design and Packaging Masters assessment, part of The Global Spirits Masters Competitions (GSMC), all of these factors are taken into careful consideration.
To put this year’s entrants through their paces, six expert judges gathered at the Ibis London Bridge hotel – including Diogo Lopes, project co-ordinator – new product development at Amorim Top Series (this year’s sponsor), who came all the way from Portugal to take part. He sat on a panel with Melita Kiely, editor-in-chief of The Spirits Business, and chair of The GSMC.
David T Smith, spirits writer, consultant and co-founder of the Craft Distilling Expo, led a team that included Ruchira Neotia, drinks consultant and founder of Ruchira’s Table. The third and final group included chair Anne Jones, director of Limestone & Jones, and Matt Chambers, co-founder of Whisky For Everyone.
The opening flight looked at the designs of vodka bottles – resulting in two Master medallists. First to secure the top award was Absolut Haring, an artist-inspired edition released this year. The judges said the bottle was a “good reflection of Haring”. They also liked that it wasn’t just about the label, and took a “holistic approach to the bottle with embossing, and offered good support on the website via a QR code”. “A great piece of work,” they concluded.
Royal Mash Vodka collected the second Master in this heat, praised for its “very clear and direct packaging”. Kiely liked the “typography and pops of royal blue – this is classic, simple and feels luxurious, though understated”, she said.
Amorim Top Series was the official sponsor of The Design & Packaging Masters 2025
A trio of Gold medals and three Silvers were also awarded in this round. The Gold medallists included: Parneff Vodka with its “nice striations on the bottle”; Three Sixty Vodka, found to be “thoughtful with great diamond dimpling on the glass”; and “informative and eye-catching” Faer Isles Subsea Vodka.
The high standard set in the inaugural flight continued as the judges moved on to Gin. Here, four designs were deemed deserving of the top Master medal. No.3 London Dry Gin was “very well designed for practicality in both the on- and off-trade”, and left lasting impression with its unique shape and attention to detail”.
Master-winning Rockpool Gin was said to be “very beautiful”. With its unusual shape and frosted patterns running across the glass, Lopes noted: “It brings to memory the coastline; a very nice closure, and a good investment from the brand.”
‘Great evolution’
Never Never Oyster Shell Gin also secured a Master medal. The judges noted how this was a “great evolution for the brand” with “lovely detail at the bottom and top; clean lines and colour scheme – and a lighter product, too”.
Completing the Master scores in this flight was Thirlings Dry Gin. “Love,” exclaimed Kiely, who noted the high attention to detail. “There’s a lot going on but it’s clean at the same time. I like the off-white text on the label, and the white, black, and pops of copper work well.”
An impressive 12 Gold medals were also awarded in the flight, with winners including Cygnet Distillery, which collected three Gold awards for Cygnet 22, Cygnet 77, and Welsh Dry Gin. The judges described the teardrop shape of Cygnet 22 as having “purity, movement and impact”.
GinPlz also impressed, and was awarded a Gold medal for its “beautiful textured glass, which reminds me of the sea, and the copper on the stopper is beautiful. It works perfectly as a 500ml bottle.”
Switching to dark spirits, in the Cognac flight a Gold medal was given to Croizet XO, which was described as “elegant and classy”, with “Art-Deco labelling”. A Silver medal completed the flight.
Eight Gold medallists made themselves known in the following Tequila round, including a medal for Casa Malka. The bottle was “quite stunning and really balanced, modern and slick”. The judges agreed the label and stopper “really allow the unique bottle texture and shape to shine”.
Patrón collected three Gold medals in this flight for its Reposado, Añejo and Silver expressions. “You recognise the packaging a mile away. The cork top is iconic,” said Lopes.
Five Silver medals completed the Tequila round, with three awarded to Trulussó Spirits Group products.
The Mezcal round produced a Master medal in the form of Perro Verde Ensamble. Jones noted: “Beautiful bottle. Really clever embossed design on the glass shows clearly through the liquid. There’s an elegance to the shoulders and the angle of the sides.”
Progressing to the Agave Spirits flight, and a quartet of Gold medals were awarded to Pistola products – including one for Pistola Joven. Kiely and Lopes liked the square shape of the bottles and the embossed details, noting each expression’s “modern, slightly quirky” character.
In the rum round, Bacardí took home a strong medal haul – including two Master awards. The first Master accolade was presented to Bacardí Reserva Ocho, which Lopes described as “iconic”. He also pointed to the “bat embossed on the bottle and engraved on the stopper”, praising the attention to detail given to the design.
The brand’s stablemate, Bacardí Gold Rum, was also found deserving of a Master medal. Neotia noted the information about calories, units and a cocktail recipe: “This is a case study for appropriate and important information for labels. Fantastic functionality and excellent form that is unmistakably Bacardí. Cannot be improved.” High praise indeed. Two more Bacardí products were part of five Gold medal winners in the Rum round, while one more was among eight Silver medallists. Additional Gold winners included Angostura Founders Reserve 1824 with an eye-catching “butterfly wrap around the top”.
From there, the tasting explored Scotch Whisky entrants, adding another Master medallist to the growing tally. The coveted award went to The Art of St Andrews 2025, created by Eden Mill St Andrews. “Gorgeous, classy and elegant. Effortless elegant and still with weight of character. Distinctive without being too complicated,” Chambers wrote.
Standout packaging: Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter Six
The round produced five Gold medal winners and a pair of Silvers, too. Gold award winners included Compass Box The Travelling Circus, said to be “creative and distinctive, with charismatic illustrations, energy and vibrancy”, and Chivas Regal Crystalgold, which was found to have a “clean, crisp design that reflects the clear spirit inside the bottle. The gift box looks smart, as does the gold stopper, and kudos for using real cork for the stopper.”
Turning to American Whiskey, a Master medal was awarded to First West. This was a very popular design with the judges. “It looks amazing, very nice details on the glass, and the label stands out,” said Lopes. Kiely added: “This is gorgeous mix of tradition and old-worldy design, and modernity. The embossing down the sides, the shape of the bottle, the texture on the label, gold detailing – every detail has been thought through. This is how you do design exceptionally well.”
Orang Tua picked up a Gold medal for “bold and yummy” Black Jack in this flight, as did “traditional, right on brand” Yellowstone Recollection. A Silver closed the round.
The Irish Whiskey entrants added to the Master medal count, with top two awards for Irish Distillers-made designs. The first went to Midleton Very Rare 2025 Vintage Release. The Master medallist secured the award for its “neutral colour palate on the box, elegant, beautiful, and luxurious appearance”.
Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter Six also took home the top medal. The Master winner delivered a “timeless, elegant design and exquisite woodwork”, noted Smith. “Flawless, thoughtful. Every element of the design has been thought through and opening it is a real experience without pretension, it’s genuine.”
Four Gold medals and one Silver also shone in this round.
Green Spot 100 Year Anniversary 10 Years Old was one of the Gold recipients, found to be “elegant and enjoyable with the green paintbrush strong across the bottle”.
‘Startling, amusing and very, very clever’
In the World Whisky Category, Hong Kong Whisky was one of three Gold medallists. This design was described as “startling, amusing and very, very clever – a total standout on any shelf and one that encourages multiple collection buys and festive versions”.
Keris Single Malt Whisky also walked away with a Gold medal, with the judges noting how the bottle and box had “continuity” of design, and the box was impressively sturdy as a secondary packaging option.
Indri Diwali Collector’s Edition 2025 also took home a Gold medal, praised for its “beautiful box, with artwork depicting India, and great explanations on the packaging about the inspiration behind the whisky”. Three Silver medals wrapped up the flight.
In the Liqueurs heat, Lucas Bols bagged a Master medal for Bols Blue 1575, which had “great form and thoughtful design for functionality”.
In the Speciality Spirits round, the penultimate round of the day, Metaxa Angels’ Treasure was bestowed with a Gold medal, and liked for its “good information on the packs” and being “light yet luxurious”.
Best in Class 2025: Perro Verde Ensambe
Lastly, in the Tonic & Mixer round, a Gold medal was handed to Le Tribute Pink Grapefruit Soda. The judges found this to be “very stylish, not like anything seen in the mixer category before. Stunning vertical ribbed design.”
Whittling down the Master medallists to determine a Taste Master winner is tricky enough during the blind-tasting editions of The GSMC. However, selecting The Design & Packaging Best In Class winner from the Master medallists was arguably an even harder task. After great deliberation, Perro Verde Ensamble was chosen as the Best In Class 2025 recipient, celebrated for bringing a beautifully modern, minimalistic, unique design to the mezcal category.
But the judges also wanted to give a Special Commendation to Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter Six. While the packaging has clearly benefitted from a lot of investment, the judges could see how each element had been carefully chosen, how it reflected the quality and rarity of the liquid inside the bottle, and, ultimately, looked exquisite.
Ultimately, great spirits packaging isn’t about how much a brand spends, but how wisely it invests in its identity. Thoughtful choices, clever detailing and storytelling can elevate even simple designs, proving award-winning designs don’t have to cost the earth.
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