Heat responsive label changes color when drink is too warm

Artisan gin distillery uses thermochromic ink on label to indicate when a bottle needs to be refrigerated or is ready to be drunk.

The Griffiths Brothers gin distillery recently collaborated with Royston Labels to develop a new heat-sensitive label. Using thermochromic ink, a portion of the label turns blue when the bottle has been chilled to the ideal temperature. Griffiths Brothers gin is cold distilled, which differentiates itself from brands that use the more traditional heated method of distilling.

The bottle’s clear label, with its vivid flashes of blue, hints at the unheated processing. A section of the back of the label is clear until the drink is cool enough to be drunk, and then the color slowly fades as the bottle heats up. When all the color is gone, the bottle needs to be returned to the refrigerator. This concept has already been incorporated into other beverage brands but it is a new concept used within the gin industry to “reflect the modern, minimalist edginess of the Griffiths Brothers brand”.

Alcoholic drink production has a lot of exciting innovation going on, with projects focusing on almost all areas of a product’s life cycle, including brewing, recycling waste products, improving package sustainability and marketing campaigns. One beer has been brewed specifically to help reduce the symptoms of menopause, while a series of red wines have been introduced to celebrate a major television multimedia franchise. How else could the craft of small businesses connect with global brands to create locale-specific experiences?