Berlin Packaging UK and Renais showcased artisan gin and bespoke bottle collaboration at Imbibe Live 2023

Inspired by terroir and tradition, Alex and Emma Watson’s luxury modern gin, crafted with a nod to Burgundy’s artisan winemaking heritage, was poured from a unique bottle and mixed by award-winning bartender Jack Sotti at Berlin Packaging stand D120.

Imbibe Live 2023, London, Monday 3rd to Tuesday 4th July 2023 Hybrid packaging supplier Berlin Packaging and Renais, a luxury modern gin created by Alex and Emma Watson, were on display recently at Imbibe Live, which was held at London’s Olympia exhibition venue in early July. Award-winning mixologist Jack Sotti, who is also Director of Brand Advocacy at Renais, poured and mixed incredible drinks for visitors to stand D120 from a tailor-made bottle design created in collaboration with Berlin’s creative hub Studio 111.

Renais is inspired by the people, produce and provenance of Burgundy, an iconic wine region in France, and is a vibrant and delicious modern gin imbued with the distinctive flavour of Grand Cru grapes. Salvaged grape skins from the only vineyard in Chablis to use organic farming methods are collected after pressing for wine to create the base spirit, helping minimise waste. This is then blended with Kimmeridgian stone and Grand Cru grapes, some of which are from the Watson family’s own vineyard, to provide the classic Chablis minerality. With such a powerful and personal story behind the product, the bottle that presents and protects it was of the utmost importance to get right.

“The bottle design was very precious to Alex, Emma and the team at Renais,” said Mark Crumpton, Business Development Manager at Berlin Packaging. “Our initial interactions were consultative before our technical expertise was deployed to deliver exactly what they had intended and to ensure the geometry of the bottle was such that it could be scaled for production. Our input turned the creative design into something that could be manufactured with only the smallest possible change to the aesthetic design intent, and the results on display at Imbibe spoke for themselves.”

Alex Watson, Founder of Renais, added: “As a young, hungry company, we were looking for the right partner to grow with us, and Berlin was able to provide the efficiency and the scalability that we need. The bottle has a luxury French modern aesthetic with a modern twist, and when we first held it in our hands there was a feeling of elation. It’s a very surreal moment to finally be able to hold a finished product after having it only exist in your mind for such a long time. The launch and seeing the reaction together for the product when it hit the market was a real highlight - all the hard work coming to fruition – and to have been at Imbibe with Berlin, and to have had Jack Sotti with us too, was a fantastic opportunity to showcase our brand to the world.”

Renais is inspired by the people, produce and provenance of Burgundy, an iconic wine region in France, and is a vibrant and delicious modern gin imbued with the distinctive flavour of Grand Cru grapes. Salvaged grape skins from the only vineyard in Chablis to use organic farming methods are collected after pressing for wine to create the base spirit, helping minimise waste.

Visitors to Berlin Packaging’s stand, in addition to being able to sample Renais in drinks mixed personally by Jack Sotti, were also able to learn more about the process of creating the gin and its packaging and to speak directly to Berlin experts about the unique capabilities of Studio 111.

The World’s Largest Hybrid Packaging Supplier® in glass, plastic, metal packaging, and closures. The company is a One-Stop Packaging Shop that combines the best elements of Design & Innovation, Manufacturing Services, and Customer Solutions for the packaging industry. Berlin Packaging is the only player that can offer a complete range of services and supports clients during the entire packaging cycle.