JS Tallman Bourbon: A Packaging Design Masterpiece

Blending Copper Foil and Matte Black Paper for a Dramatic Presence

The design team, Kristin Casaletto and Ben Jenkins, created a bottle label made entirely from copper foil on matte black paper. The detailed design work and blind emboss were inspired by the meticulous care that went into the creation of this spirit. The label pays homage to the distillers’ passion for detail, forming a bold, dramatic presence on the bottle.

JS Tallman Bourbon Whiskey was made entirely from scratch in Battle Ground, Washington by Double V Distillery, using local ingredients. The name of the bourbon, JS Tallman, is an allusion to the family tree of the distillery, combining the initials of the two brothers, John and Steve, who started the distillery in 2009. Each bottle is hand signed and closed with a decorative necker that bears the family crest, adding a personal touch to the packaging.

The design process involved careful consideration of the user experience. The tapered glass of the bottle fits nicely in the hand, and the textured paper label adds to the tactile experience. The emboss on the label enhances the appearance of the copper foil and the perceived quality of the product.

The project started on April 6, 2015, and was completed on October 12, 2016, in Portland, Oregon, USA. The design team conducted extensive research, looking at competitor packaging in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The goal was to create a package that would stand out amongst the crowded shelves of bourbon and create excitement for the buyer.

JS Tallman is the inaugural bourbon from Double V Distillery. The challenge was to communicate the story of the distillery and the bourbon, while also creating a brand that would stand apart from the plethora of new-to-market brown craft liquors flooding the market. The final design successfully met this challenge, resulting in a packaging design that is as unique and meticulously crafted as the bourbon it houses.