L’Chaim Vodka is distilled no less than 18 times. In an excellent website (www.theendofvodka.com), VeeV Acai Liqueur pokes fun at the vodkas distilled 3, 5, 23, 570 times. The site is funny, pretty, and makes a good point. It tends to suggest that after the first couple of distillations, and after pushing the spirit past 190 proof, it’s a fairly pointless exercise to distill it more. Virtuoso Distillers, of Mishawaka, Indiana, is undaunted. In box 19 of the L’Chaim approval, Steven Ross patiently explains that the vodka is distilled 18 times. TTB frequently asks for such a confirmation, when the label sets forth the number of distillations or filtrations. This is odd because the label already claims it under penalty of perjury, the certification doesn’t seem to make it any more likely to be true, and it would seem to be a minor point in any event (for the reasons suggested by VeeV). Mr. Ross has a lot more going on, on this label. He further explains that L’Chaim (or, “To Life”) is similar to “cheers,” carefully avoiding any suggestion that it’s about health. This is not a small matter because, prior to this approval, the term was rarely used in a prominent way on US alcohol beverage labels. Mr. Ross explains that the letters...

The last two posts showed beverage packaging that serves the extra function of lighting up. Drink’n’Stick doesn’t just sit there on the shelf, passively. It is a wine package that beckons you to dress, or undress, the pin-up model. Like Quickie, this is another great one from Vine Street Imports and Some Young Punks. The latter website says:

Few wines come with instructions — this one also comes with a wardrobe. Peel the clothing from the sheet to customize the accompanying temptress as you drink.

Wine Girl has a good slide show and description. She said:

I was distracted for a full hour by just the bottle. … There is a Bettie Page-esque pin-up girl on the label. There’s also a plastic strip that you can carefully unwrap to reveal that our Bettie is actually the equivalent of a paper doll. The plastic strip has all sorts [of] clothing on it. I think I tried almost every possible combination on Bettie before settling on a ruffly shirt and crop pants. Ladies, there are even scarves and hair bows.

You know, the bottle appeals to both sexes, as I discovered in the store. Unwrapped, it’s a Bettie Page pin-up in retro lingerie. The guys were all excited. … The ladies,...

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...

Slowly but surely, more “functional packages” are coming to town. I don’t mean packages that serve the function of storing booze, or acting as a paperweight or a vase. I mean packages that do something beyond that; beyond what is traditional; beyond moving the beverage from producer to consumer and making it look good. Ty-Ku is a simple example. It’s a pretty bottle, and it lights up when lifted. This video shows the bottle in action. In the days to come, we should be able to come up with a few other examples, including some that go a bit further down this road. If you know of others, please let us know.