UK – Johnnie Walker, the renowned Scotch whisky brand, has unveiled the limited-edition Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra, its lightest 70cl glass bottle to date.
The innovative design represents a shift in luxury packaging, challenging traditional concepts with its lightweight structure.
The new bottle, weighing just 180g without the closure, was developed to push the boundaries of lightweighting glass.
Research by Diageo, Johnnie Walker’s parent company, highlighted a trend in luxury categories favoring lighter, more delicate designs over heavy packaging.
According to Diageo, this insight guided the development of the Blue Label Ultra, which aims to set a new standard in the luxury beverage sector.
Johnnie Walker Global Brand Director Jennifer English expressed her excitement about the achievement. “We didn’t know what we were going to be able to achieve when we set out to push the boundaries of luxury, and the result is something that many said would not be possible,” she said.
“This new, lightweight bottle is a thing of exquisite beauty; but more importantly, it demonstrates what is possible when it comes to lightweighting glass.”
The launch of the Blue Label Ultra aligns with Diageo’s broader environmental goals under its Spirit of Progress action plan, which seeks to reduce carbon emissions associated with packaging.
According to English, for every gram of glass reduced, over half a gram of carbon emissions is saved during production.
“While the technology is not yet available to launch such lightweight bottles at scale permanently, the insights we’ve gained are already being applied to other lightweighting projects across our Diageo portfolio,” English added
Though this lightweight technology is not yet available at scale, Diageo has granted a UK patent for the bottle design and plans to offer the patent on a royalty-free basis to encourage industry-wide innovation.
Only 888 of these limited-edition bottles will be produced, with a select number set for release in 2025 in markets worldwide, at a recommended retail price of £1000 (US$1,112.58).
Recently, Diageo partnered with three tech innovators—AquaSpy, Clean Crop Technologies, and SmartCloud Farming—as part of its Diageo Sustainable Solutions (DSS) programme.
The collaboration is aimed at strengthening the resilience of the agricultural sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, where unpredictable weather patterns and water scarcity increasingly challenge farmers.
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