Bringing a complex design to life with the right embellishments

Five clear, rectangular bottles are labeled Wheat Vodka, Spring Gin, Summer Gin, Winter Gin, and Fall Gin, each with distinct seasonal label colors and tree illustrations.

Ann Arbor Distilling Company (or A2DC, as the brand is often known) is a small-batch distillery based in Michigan. Because the owners are part of a design agency, they developed the new look for their line of gins and vodkas themselves. With the design direction already in place, they needed a label partner who could bring the bold colors and intricate botanical illustrations to life. Our team helped recommend embellishments, produce fully decorated samples and ultimately print the custom spirits labels.

A quick overview

THE PRIMARY PROBLEM: Figuring out how to bring a complex design to life with the right embellishments
THE SOLUTION: One-on-one embellishment consultations and fully embellished samples
ADDED BENEFITS: Cost-effective production with digital label printing and expert color management

Making a bold design even more striking

Our relationship with A2DC began as an embellishment consultation. We sat down with their team to make sure we completely understood their packaging vision.

From there, we discussed exactly how we would bring it to life — from finishes and embellishments to material selection, color management and quality execution.

Their design itself was already bold: bright colors, storybook botanical illustrations and modern lettering. We simply had to highlight what was already there.

To that end, we recommended printing the front label on a premium felt material. We also suggested highlighting the distillery’s name with embossing and emphasizing each gin style — Fall, Spring and the rest of the seasonal line — with a spot gloss varnish. Our team also managed the color work needed to punch up the background illustrations, which were reverse-printed on clear biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film to create a vivid backdrop for the branded front label.

Ann Arbor Distilling Company Wheat Vodka bottle with an embellished spirits label

Aligning the most cost-effective printing technology

Breathing life into their lofty label design vision was their primary focus. Because of this, cost wasn’t a sticking point — but we never want a distillery to pay more than they should for the high-quality labels they deserve.

With a large footprint of both digital and flexographic presses, we can align the right printing technology for every wine and spirits label program we support.

For brands that require exceptionally long runs with little design variability, flexographic printing can present the best value. But with gins and vodkas carefully crafted for every season, A2DC needed labels for many SKUs — and no single SKU required a production run long enough to justify the initial investment in flexographic plates.

Digital printing gave A2DC the best value for their label spend, allowing them to vary the graphics across the order. That meant they could order all their front labels, or all their botanical back labels, together — increasing the total run size and reducing per-label costs.

The result?

Strong sell-through led to increased order volumes, signaling continued demand across their product line.

Ready to elevate your spirits labels?

Reach out to the RLG Wine & Spirits team to find out how the right materials, printing method and finishing details can help your packaging reach the next level. We can help evaluate the best path for your brand before producing labels with the consistency, detail and shelf presence your products deserve.