rum

By now, almost everyone has seen and had a chance to partake of the many cold-activated beer cans. Here is something a little different — a cold-activated spirits bottle. Box 19 of the approval for Metropolis says:  “Labels contain thermochromatic ink – the cityscape will change when temperatures increase/decrease.” The label goes a bit further, to say “Chill your bottle to light up the night. Label changes when chilled.” Metropolis also has approvals for gin and vodka. Chromatic Technologies, Inc. explains that such inks change color as their temperature changes. “Our thermochromic inks all work the same way … below the activation temperature they are colored and above the activation temperature they are clear or lightly colored. As the ink cools, the original color returns.” B&H Colour Change Ltd. also claims to be a world leader in thermochromic printing and further explains:

The whole label or a small part will change colour at a selected temperature to show when the beverage is the correct temperature for serving/drinking. Bottle shrink sleeves can be preprinted with thermochromic inks prior to sleeving. Board packaging for take-home multipacks can be printed with thermochromic ink, to encourage consumers to chill them in the fridge.

The people that set up the pre-market approval system for alcohol beverages probably did not anticipate that, sooner or later, it would come to this. Here is Erection Rum, imported by Data Commodities of Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the last post we showed a bottle that lights up. This time, we have a functional package that goes a bit further. It lights up and plays music. Thank goodness for this video that captured it in action, before it faded off into oblivion. TTB approved Coyopa Rum back in 2001. At box 17, the approval says:  “Bottle may be equipped to play music (no words or lyrics) … may light up. … ‘Label and package made in China.’” Box 16 mentions that it’s a “distinctive liquor bottle.” Like a lot of products, it does not seem to have lasted very long. This old, undated article explains:

The idea for Coyopa came to [Sidney] Frank in a dream; a vision of a bottle that played music and was animated. … He hired an engineer to design the electronics for the interactive label, and turned to R.L. Seale, a premier rum producer in Barbados to create the … rum. … “They might think it’s crazy at first, or just a gimmick, but once you get a good look at it, you are mesmerized. My Active Label® is a true breakthrough.”

Perhaps 2001 was a bit too early; the functional packages seem to be rolling out with greater regularity late in the same...