PACKAGE CONCEPT & COLLATERAL
A $3,000 bottle of vodka? Why, that takes some planning and craftsmanship! Luckily, I got to help create the initial vision of the bottle/case/packaging concept for this rarity of liquids from the start.The plan went a little something like this:
The pristine water found in New Zealand’s Blue Spring is a product of a 100 years long process that could only be honed by nature. It is a process that native New Zealanders and the Maori people who originally inhabited the region protected tirelessly and have been inspired by for years.
Our packaging design for the next edition of the elit pristine water series will draw inspiration from several intrinsic elements of the region:
The water.
Revered for its purity, properties of exceptional clarity and exquisite blue hues.
The people.
Maori culture is rife with respect for the sacred – the people have stood as protectors of the Blue Spring and sacred resources like it for centuries.
The traditions.
A dedication to hand craftsmanship was born from Maori culture and traditions.
The elements.
Ancient Kauri Wood and Paua Shell represent the most esteemed and valuable and beautiful natural elements native to the region and will be employed in our packaging for elit 3.0
ANCIENT KAURI WOOD
The trees grew as mighty as they are beautiful in the land of the Maori people, and the tribe made the best of the amazing resource at hand.
It is the world's oldest wood.
TRIBAL ART AND SYMBOLOGY
Although Maori art is similar in style to that of other Polynesian cultures, the Maori introduced design elements such as swooping curves and spirals that were unique among Polynesian styles.
The Koru (a spiralling fern) is a symbol integral to Maori art forms. It expresses new life, regeneration, growth, strength and peace.
PAUA SHELL
The Paua shell is said to bring good luck, prosperity, and ‘peace to people’.
Its meat is considered a delicacy, and the unearthly, lustrous shell is one of the best gifts you can give or receive.
Even today, of all the abalone varieties in the world, Paua shell is most sought after.
We had hoped that in addition to the kauri wood case, the complete package could could come with paua shell serving vessels (shot "glasses") that we thought would look amazing on a tray of crushed ice. T’was not to be. But can't you just see these gracing the bar of a yacht somewhere?
There was also a very fancy book, ahem, brochure.
Inside copy read as follows:
Elevating centuries of vodka tradition to hi-tech art, elit™ by Stolichnaya® is the inception of ultra-luxury vodka. A spirit of breath-taking clarity and flawless molecular composition, it is born from an obsession with accuracy.
Our inexhaustible effort, in service of achieving ultimate vodka perfection, has taken us to some of the farthest reaches of the earth to source the most rarified water attainable, a decisively important ingredient. This is the vital element allows us to bring you the elit™ pristine water series.
Introducing, The New Zealand Edition.
_____________________________________________________
Astounding Purity
In New Zealand, there is a corner of heaven few can reach called the Blue Spring. Time, terrain, and people have fiercely and effectively protected the dazzlingly pure water that emerges here. Its arrival is the culmination of a hundred year journey through the pumice of the towering Mamakau Ranges.
Exceptional clarity and exquisite blue hues immediately distinguish it, but there is an otherworldly element to this glimmering liquid at its source. Water from the Blue Spring is impervious to even the seasons, bursting forth at a constant 11° Celsius. Few natural reservoirs in the world remain so untouched, so radiant. It is here we collected the water we would need to create this limited edition of elit™ by Stolichnaya®.
_____________________________________________________
Exacting Standards
At the heart of Russia’s fertile black earth region, in Tambov, the soil is utterly full of nutrients; the grains yielded are unmatched. Cultivated by our own farmers, who draw from hundreds of years of expertise, dating back to a time when the harvest here was reserved for the aristocracy, the strictest attention is constantly paid to quality.
Hearty winter wheat, spring wheat, and rye are planted at their optimal time, carefully tended, and delicately harvested. A culling process ensures that only the choicest, most robust grains make the journey to become elit™ by Stolichnaya®.
_____________________________________________________
Molecular Perfection
At a state-of-the-art distillery in Talvis, the precise efforts of our master technicians, throughout the fermentation process, and the tight control of the ‘cut’ that is kept, allow us to distill just three times to retain the taste and character of the fine Russian wheat that was so carefully selected. This produces a grade of Alpha spirit that far exceeds the highest Russian standards on every measure.
Our filtration process is no less exacting, the final stage of which is our unique freeze-out filtration. At -18˚ Celsius, the liquid densifies and moves through ion-charged carbon filters at an extremely slowed velocity, leaving an exquisitely pure liquid charged with character. Given the time and space to return to ambient temperature, unhurried, it acquires the hallmarks of a flawless vodka.
_____________________________________________________
A Case Befitting The Character
Once a vodka of this caliber has been created, the vessel that contains and protects the liquid must be its equal, a reflection of its essence. Our material selections for this edition of the pristine water series rightfully pay tribute to the land of The Blue Spring, the utter preciousness of the water source, and the bounty bestowed upon the surrounding area by nature.
The world’s oldest wood, and one of nature’s finest works of art, Ancient Kauri Wood grew in prehistoric New Zealand forests. Buried in peat over 50,000 years ago, it was naturally sealed in a perfectly balanced environment. Obviously, time has been kind to this special, shimmering wood.
In New Zealand, the lustrous, iridescent Paua Shell is one of the best gifts you can give or receive. Of all the abalone varieties in the world, Paua is most sought after.
The lush ferns of the area provide inspiration for the etchings in the bottle created for us by the legendary crystal studio, Daum. Expressing regeneration, growth, strength and peace, the fern is, culturally, a very important symbol.
The ‘koru’ featured on the bottle is seen in many examples of New Zealand art. It is based on the unfurling, spiraling fern frond.
_____________________________________________________
Exemplary Values
We obviously place a great deal of importance on water purity, and thus, worldwide attention to sustainability, respect for nature, and responsible water use. Therefore, elit™ by Stolichnaya® is, of course, proud to be a supporting partner of Oceana.
Oceana is the largest international organization working to make our oceans as healthy and abundant as they once were. Protecting over 1.2 million square miles of ocean from destructive industrial fishing, as well as the innumerable sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and other sea creatures that depend upon a vibrant ocean, Oceana truly complements the vision of our pristine water series.
_____________________________________________________
Press coverage is here, here and here.
Elevating centuries of vodka tradition to hi-tech art, elit™ by Stolichnaya® is the inception of ultra-luxury vodka. A spirit of breath-taking clarity and flawless molecular composition, it is born from an obsession with accuracy.
Our inexhaustible effort, in service of achieving ultimate vodka perfection, has taken us to some of the farthest reaches of the earth to source the most rarified water attainable, a decisively important ingredient. This is the vital element allows us to bring you the elit™ pristine water series.
Introducing, The New Zealand Edition.
_____________________________________________________
Astounding Purity
In New Zealand, there is a corner of heaven few can reach called the Blue Spring. Time, terrain, and people have fiercely and effectively protected the dazzlingly pure water that emerges here. Its arrival is the culmination of a hundred year journey through the pumice of the towering Mamakau Ranges.
Exceptional clarity and exquisite blue hues immediately distinguish it, but there is an otherworldly element to this glimmering liquid at its source. Water from the Blue Spring is impervious to even the seasons, bursting forth at a constant 11° Celsius. Few natural reservoirs in the world remain so untouched, so radiant. It is here we collected the water we would need to create this limited edition of elit™ by Stolichnaya®.
_____________________________________________________
Exacting Standards
At the heart of Russia’s fertile black earth region, in Tambov, the soil is utterly full of nutrients; the grains yielded are unmatched. Cultivated by our own farmers, who draw from hundreds of years of expertise, dating back to a time when the harvest here was reserved for the aristocracy, the strictest attention is constantly paid to quality.
Hearty winter wheat, spring wheat, and rye are planted at their optimal time, carefully tended, and delicately harvested. A culling process ensures that only the choicest, most robust grains make the journey to become elit™ by Stolichnaya®.
_____________________________________________________
Molecular Perfection
At a state-of-the-art distillery in Talvis, the precise efforts of our master technicians, throughout the fermentation process, and the tight control of the ‘cut’ that is kept, allow us to distill just three times to retain the taste and character of the fine Russian wheat that was so carefully selected. This produces a grade of Alpha spirit that far exceeds the highest Russian standards on every measure.
Our filtration process is no less exacting, the final stage of which is our unique freeze-out filtration. At -18˚ Celsius, the liquid densifies and moves through ion-charged carbon filters at an extremely slowed velocity, leaving an exquisitely pure liquid charged with character. Given the time and space to return to ambient temperature, unhurried, it acquires the hallmarks of a flawless vodka.
_____________________________________________________
A Case Befitting The Character
Once a vodka of this caliber has been created, the vessel that contains and protects the liquid must be its equal, a reflection of its essence. Our material selections for this edition of the pristine water series rightfully pay tribute to the land of The Blue Spring, the utter preciousness of the water source, and the bounty bestowed upon the surrounding area by nature.
The world’s oldest wood, and one of nature’s finest works of art, Ancient Kauri Wood grew in prehistoric New Zealand forests. Buried in peat over 50,000 years ago, it was naturally sealed in a perfectly balanced environment. Obviously, time has been kind to this special, shimmering wood.
In New Zealand, the lustrous, iridescent Paua Shell is one of the best gifts you can give or receive. Of all the abalone varieties in the world, Paua is most sought after.
The lush ferns of the area provide inspiration for the etchings in the bottle created for us by the legendary crystal studio, Daum. Expressing regeneration, growth, strength and peace, the fern is, culturally, a very important symbol.
The ‘koru’ featured on the bottle is seen in many examples of New Zealand art. It is based on the unfurling, spiraling fern frond.
_____________________________________________________
Exemplary Values
We obviously place a great deal of importance on water purity, and thus, worldwide attention to sustainability, respect for nature, and responsible water use. Therefore, elit™ by Stolichnaya® is, of course, proud to be a supporting partner of Oceana.
Oceana is the largest international organization working to make our oceans as healthy and abundant as they once were. Protecting over 1.2 million square miles of ocean from destructive industrial fishing, as well as the innumerable sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and other sea creatures that depend upon a vibrant ocean, Oceana truly complements the vision of our pristine water series.
_____________________________________________________
Press coverage is here, here and here.
