Interview: David Cole of David Cole Creative, Bourbon Packaging Designer

Woodinville Whiskey Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Photo courtesy David Cole, www.davidcolecreative.com.

About two weeks ago I got a notice from a reader regarding an upcoming bourbon event. It turns out that he is also the designer of the label and packaging of this upcoming release. As I am also a designer who loves whiskey, I felt that there were some fun questions here to be answered. What follows is our conversation. 

So tell me a little about yourself, are you a bourbon drinker? What's your go-to pour?

Go-to pour? Quick answer, without over-thinking it would be Knob Creek, 9-year bourbon. That's my "every-day" favorite. But there sure are a lot of other options if you're in one mood or another. I got into whiskey via Old Overholt Rye! From there I acquired a taste for Maker's Mark Bourbon and Bulleit and it's been a bonanza of new experiences since then. I greatly enjoy Woodinville Whiskey's Microbarrel Bourbon and Rye. The bourbon is surprisingly mature for it's young age. I'm also enjoying the proliferation of Scotch-style, American single-malt whiskeys that are showing up. I guess it's hard to pick a favorite right now, when every week brings a new product to try - especially here in the Northwest. I can't even keep up with all the new releases. Eastland is doing some interesting things. So is Clear Creek. And I still have plenty of classics to get to know as well. I guess I can't afford to latch on to anything at the moment. There's so much yet to learn.

Like me, you are a designer. Unlike me, you design for bourbon bottles. How'd you get started with that specialty?

I started out in package design over 12 years ago right out of art school. My wife-to-be and I were both designers at a small agency in a small town for about two years. Then we moved to Seattle and got caught up in the "big city" design agency rat race for as long as we could stand it. That was profoundly educational but the work wasn't particularly rewarding for me. So in 2012 I decided to go it alone. I left the agency I was working for and went solo. My wife (www.nikkicolecreative.com) had already blazed that path, 4 years prior. I guess I was slow to figure it out. Anyway, my passion for packaging had been unsatisfied for some eight years or so. So I just decided that's what I was going to do. I guess I can't say that my passion for whiskey had been unsatisfied, but the two had yet to converge and that's what I was really wanting to make happen. So I posted some related work on my website and within months I was getting unsolicited calls and emails from local wineries and distillers. It's been snowballing since then and it's only just beginning! Just yesterday I got an email from a distiller in Ukraine. We're already talking details and it looks like it's going to be a fun project: A whole product line of hand-made fruit brandies. I can't wait to get started on designs.

What are some of the unique challenges in designing whisky bottles and packaging?

Compared to a great many other food and drink products, packaging for the spirits category is equally challenging, or maybe slightly less so. A great many food and drink products have to contend with refrigeration, moisture and other mechanical considerations related to packing, shipping and storage. Wine and spirits are thankfully free from these particular hurdles. It's just nuts and bolts stuff, but it has a pretty major impact on the materials and print processes that will be appropriate for the finished package. With spirits in particular, the door remains open to many processes that help achieve a premium look and feel in the package. Also, makers of whiskey and spirits are charging a lot more for their products than makers of jellies, chocolates, coffee and many of the other food producers I work with. Expectations are higher when it comes to selection of high quality materials such as natural cork, glass and premium label papers, etc. I prefer to design for premium, hand-made and/or natural products, so it's a perfect fit.

I know that the labels need to be submitted for approval, does this affect all portions of the design? or just the label portion itself?

The TTB is only concerned with certain pieces of information. In most cases that information appears on the primary label (or screen printed equivalent of a label), so I believe that's where their interest ends. I suppose they also regulate some other, non-label factors such as net contents. Only certain sizes are legal to sell in the United states: 200ml, 375ml and 500ml, if I remember correctly.

You have a bourbon that is launching soon that you designed. Tell us about that project, how did it come about

Woodinville Whiskey Company is a dream client for me. They contacted me out of the blue just over a year ago. They were exactly the client I was hoping for: A Northwest distiller with a lot of hand-crafted appeal and pride in their products. From day one, we got along famously. We're on the same page every time we meet to discuss projects, in terms of the vision for what we want to accomplish and what will be right for their brand. It's a great relationship. After I'd worked on some other projects for them, they asked me to help with this straight bourbon. I was excited to help. A young distilleries first straight whiskey is a big deal. It's a rite of passage and I'm honored to be a part of it.

Anything else you'd like to share? Where can we see more of your work?

I have a lot of irons in the fire right now! I'm currently doing work on other exciting (and top-secret) projects for Woodinville Whiskey Co. Some of that will be public in the coming weeks and some of it will be another year or so - some really cool stuff. I'm also branding and designing bottles/labels for a new, startup distiller in Eastern Washington. They will have product on the shelves this spring and I'm very excited about the direction it's heading. Unfortunately, it's also not public yet, but I'll let you know. In addition to that, I'm currently in discussions with two vodka makers and three wineries! 

I'll be appearing at an American Distilling Institute event in a few weeks, Hosted by Heritage Distilling, in Gig Harbor Washington. I was graciously invited to share some packaging design knowledge with the distillers who will be in attendance, so I'm hoping a new relationship or two comes out of that. And in related news, I have a great long-term relationship with Seattle's Canon: Whiskey & Bitters Emporium. I've done some labels for them (bitters and aged cocktails), menu designs, and a 100-page cocktail book (now in its second edition), among some other odds and ends. Oh, and I recently had an Italian glass maker pickup one of my original 750ml bottle designs as a stock offering in their catalogue for next year! I even got to name it! I get to see the prototype next week. Very excited. There's a lot going on! I just wish more of it was public, but you can be sure I'll be updating my website (http://www.davidcolecreative.com) and tweeting (@Davidscole) about new developments as soon as they are ready to share.

I'm having a lot of fun, doing what I love and I feel very fortunate to work with the amazing clients I have - and I'm excited about who I might meet next. It's always an adventure.

David, thanks for sharing all this with us. I find this sort of behind-the-scenes fascinating and I hope everyone else does too!

Woodinville Whiskey: Straight Bourbon Release Event. December 7, 2013

Woodinville Whiskey Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Photo courtesy David Cole, www.davidcolecreative.com.

A reader and fellow designer, David Cole (@Davidscole on twitter), reached out to me today to let me know about an event that is taking place in Washington on December 7th, 2013. As it is bourbon related and in a state that I absolutely adored visiting a few years back, I thought I’d pass it along. FYI, David designed and created the packaging on this bottling. His site is www.davidcolecreative.com.

What: Woodinville Whiskey Company Straight Bourbon Release

When: December 7th, 2013. Doors open at 7 am, but there will be coffee and doughnuts at 6 am.

What makes this special? Well, for one thing it is a craft distiller releasing a straight whiskey. That’s pretty darn special right there. Add in the fact that they made the whiskey and aged it for 2 years in standard sized barrels and it gets even better. 

What will you be buying? This is the first release of straight whiskey from Woodinville Whiskey company and they are releasing it in collector’s edition bottles complete with “a custom pewter label and custom display box.” Or so their website says. It goes on to say that there are 388 wheated bourbon bottles available and 207 rye bourbon bottles. Bottles are 750 mL each and will retail for $149.95. Limit one bottle per person.

What do I think? Well, to be honest, $150 for a 750 mL is quite a bit above the limit of buyer’s remorse for me, especially for a two-year old whiskey. That said, I’m also a fan of letting the whiskey speak for itself and I haven’t tasted it so I can’t pass judgement on whether or not it is worth the price. I also need to remember that this is a “collector’s edition bottle” that really looks quite pricey to produce (as I said, I’m a designer and know how expensive printing small runs can be and yes…roughly 600 is a tiny print run even without all the extras that are happening on this). Hopefully future bottlings will have a more reasonable price tag. So ultimately, if you are a fan and in the area, maybe you want to show up on the seventh, plunk down your cash and let us all know how it tastes.

Oh and it really is beautiful packaging. Nice work David. You’ve done beautiful work.

Book Review: Whiskey Women—The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch, and Irish Whiskey by Fred Minnick

Men have a tendency to take women for granted. Even those of us who would do anything for our wives sometimes forget just how much they do for us. It’s a sad truth to have to admit. Especially for someone who was raised by a single mother and saw firsthand how much she had to do to just get us basic necessities.

I read a lot of histories. It’s my other passion beside whiskey. Rarely are women mentioned in them. When they are, they are not normally portrayed as good people. It seems that a lot of historical writers seemed to think that if a woman was worth noting it was for how unlike a woman she was. 

And that’s what makes Whiskey Women—The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch, and Irish Whiskey by Fred Minnick so refreshing. Not only does it bring together my love of whiskey with my love of history, but it treats women as the human beings they are. People who work hard, have aspirations and do good things that are profitable and sometimes charitable. It also doesn’t hurt that Fred is possibly one of the best authors I’ve read. Seriously, if you see his name on a piece, just read it. It’ll be worth your time.

Doubly so in the case of this book. Minnick’s book ranges from the dawn of history up through the present day. He presents the stories of woman from such wide ranging locations as Egypt, the British Isles and North America. Whether it is the stories of woman who made and sold whiskey, those who tried to get rid of it or those who succeeded in making sure it never truly went away Minnick presents each story with respect. There is none of the “and can you believe all this was done by a woman?” that you find in other history books I’ve read.

This is a great book. Whether you are into whiskey, history or both this deserves a place on your book shelf. Love it. Go buy it today.

Four Roses Single Barrel Head-to-Head Review: Gift Shop Edition

I’ve been meaning to write this post for just about a year. I tried when I first got back from Kentucky last year. It was a blind head-to-head. Imagine that, two different four Roses Gift Shop releases. One 13 years old, the other 17. What could be a better set-up? Well that was a question that needed to remain unanswered. You see, I accidentally started with the 125 proof one. I burned out my taste buds before I could even try it with water. 

I was sad.

So I put it off. And off. And off. Until I realized that I had very little left in the bottles. They’d become candidates for “removal.”

Removal is what I call the process of drinking only one bottle until it is gone in order to free up shelf space for the next bottle. It usually occurs when there is about 1/4 left in the bottle. It’s a policy that helps me to get over my urge to hang on to the “special” ones for longer than I should. And it’s a policy I desperately need. I secretly think that I might have a little hoarder in me. 

Actually, there’s a pile of little hoarders in me. They’re over there, behind the spleen. What? I might need them someday!

Anyway, the two gift shop releases of Four Roses had reached the point where they have been tagged for “removal.” I’d had the samples poured in my library for a while now, all I needed was that blog post and I’d be free to concentrate on finishing off those two bottles. 

The reason for the post has changed over the last year. Initially, it was a bit of a brag. Look what I have: it’s a 17 year old Four Roses…blah. It’s a good thing I never wrote that post. I would have been a dick. Now it’s a reminder. A reminder, that if you end up in Kentucky, to stop into the distillery and pick up a bottle of something so good, they decided to keep it for themselves.

So let’s get to the tasting. First the older/lower proof one (see I learned from last time).

Four Roses Single Barrel Gift Shop Release 17 year

Specs: OBSV. 17 years 5 months. 54.8% ABV. Warehouse QS. Barrel no: 73-3W. Selected as one of four barrels to commemorate the opening of their new visitor center.

Nose: Maple syrup, licorice, old wood that’s gone punky

Taste: whoo, that’s sharp. JuicyFruit gum, and baking spices. adding water amplifies the sweetness and the spices.

Finish: There’s just a wisp of a burn here, but it dries the mouth nicely. Adding water devastates the finish making it dangerously quaffable. 

Four Roses Single Barrel Gift Shop Release 13 year

Specs: OBSK. Barreled November 1998 (bought September 2012). 62.6% ABV. Warehouse NS. Barrel No: 16-4A.

Nose: This reminds me of a warm cookie. Sweet vanilla and allspice. Hints of barrel char.

Taste: Caramel/Vanilla sweetness balanced by cinnamon red hot candies. Sweet. Spicy. Wonderful.

Finish: warm, but doesn’t burn. there’s some wood left over. 

Thoughts: It’s no secret that I love Four Roses. And I think they hit both of these right out of the park. Both of these are fantastic whiskies and I would be happy to have either or both on my shelf. I’ll be sad to see both of these go. If pressed my wife and I each would choose a different favorite. I loved the 13 year. I’ve reached for this over and over during the last year. In previous drams, I’ve found lovely fruitiness that I just couldn’t find this time. I typically drink it with an ice cube though so that would affect it. My wife prefers the 17 year. Which is no surprise, she loves old woody bourbons. And this trends that direction.

In short: if you find yourself within an hour of Lawrenceburg, KY, stop in. Get a gift shop release. It won’t be either of these, but it will almost certainly be fantastic.

Interview: Todd Weiss of Striped Pig Distillery, Charleston, SC

Here's a timeline for you: I've been using twitter (@Arok) since March 2008. I've been tweeting about whisky and craft booze since March 2011. I've been blogging about them since April of 2011. Somewhere around June of 2012 @DstillD found me on twitter and we started talking. He seemed to bring booze knowledge from a producer's point of view. I brought...smart ass quips and maybe eventually some knowledge of my own.

It took me a while to realize it, but @DstillD was none other than one of the masterminds behind the Striped Pig Distillery in Charleston, South Carolina. Not that Striped Pig was open at that point. That didn't happen until sometime between April and now (depending on how you define "open"), but they were getting there. We all know I love craft distillers so to celebrate their Soft Opening (his words, not mine), I asked Todd if he would mind sitting down for an interview. He graciously said yes. Below is our conversation: 

So Todd, tell me a little about Striped Pig.
 The Striped Pig Distillery is made up of 4 primary partners, with a fifth on the side. I was working mainly by myself to start a small distillery in Charleston, SC. I had the full business plan, tons of research regarding the regulation of the industry and had started making contacts and presenting to investors. Early on in my solo venture, I met up with Johnny Pieper, our Lead Distiller. He was spending time at a distillery in Colorado learning the trade. Johnny had brought in an old acquaintance of his, Casey Lillie, to help him start a distillery. Casey’s background was in sales. The three of us were running along parallel tracks, but hitting the same hurdles. A mutual friend suggested that we combine forces, and things quickly grew from there. It was easy to see that we all had complementary skills. We ran into our fourth partner, Jim Craig, quite accidentally. We were trying to find a small antique still as a decorative piece in our retail area when Jim answered our ad. While he couldn’t provide us a still, he was curious about what we were doing and eager to learn more. Jim brings 28 years of sales and operations experience to our team. Finally there is Boris Van Dyke. He also owns Icebox, which is a liquor catering business.

Where did this crazy idea come from? What made you decide to open a distillery?
 Like all good stories, mine started with a drink. I was with friends and someone had a bottle of a micro-distilled rum that was pretty darn good. After the first drink, we got to talking and I thought about distributing the spirit in South Carolina. After the fourth drink, I was no longer interested in distributing. I said, “Why should I distribute somebody else’s liquor? I’ll make it myself.”

My family had a background in home brewing. My dad owned a home brew shop for 15 years. My younger brother turned that into a brewing job for a brewpub in Kansas, then in Colorado. I was the black sheep that liked spirits, too. I thought I would try to take what I had learned and make a go in the liquor industry.

Is the distillery your full time job now? How's that affect your family? 
 The distillery has been my part- and full-time job for the past 5 years. It began with the research. I took my time to make sure I took most things into account. I traveled, looking at quite a few craft distilleries and a few of the big boys. I read… a LOT. But most importantly, I kept asking questions. Asking questions, and actually listening and implementing what you learn will make the difference between success and the other option. 

I had gone from full-time at a university, to staying at home, to full-time at the distillery. I’d be lying if I said my wife didn’t want me back home with the kids. The kids would probably like that, too. But this is a calling that I’ve felt since the idea first surfaced, to me, in late 2007. We’ve made some sacrifices, and hopefully it will all pay off in the end.

I gotta ask, where did the name Striped Pig come from?
 The story of the striped pig dates back to the Temperance Movement. The story is explained in better narrative than I can. In a nutshell, there was a 15-gallon minimum on alcohol which would have put small vendors out of business. As you might have guessed, this made many an unhappy man. So one smart fellow got a permit to display a striped pig. He brought in his pig from home and painted it with stripes, housed it in a tent at a fairgrounds (where much drinking was done in those days) and charged a small fee to view the curious creature.  Upon paying the fee, folks were brought in the tent to view the "wonder."  They were also presented with a free glass of rum.  The advent of the cover charge, if you will.

What is your specialty? 
 Johnny is a whiskey guy, I’m a rum and bourbon fan. 

Take me through a typical day?
 There are two of us in production at the distillery and two in outside sales. At the distillery, we split the day into two shifts. Since I’ve got school-aged kids, I’m awake much (MUCH) earlier than my bachelor partner. I take the early shift (starting between 8-9am) and get out between 5-6pm. Johnny, my partner, comes in anywhere between 11am to 4pm and stays until 7pm or the production is finished for the day.

First, I like to do a quick clean-up of our retail area. We don’t want to be a mess when our guests arrive. On the production side, I usually begin whatever process we will be doing that day. Sometimes, it will involve cleaning up from the previous day, other times I start the mash, stripping run, spirit run or make a molasses wash for rum. I am more the rum guy, while Johnny heads up the whiskey, but we are coming up to speed with each other’s processes as well.

Tell me about the biggest challenge you've faced so far.
 The entire business is one big challenge. It could be the start-up costs, disagreements with partners (they happen), the gallons of molasses that got dumped on the floor (always check your valves).

What's the best thing about running Striped Pig?
 I would probably be thought a fool if I didn’t list free booze as a great benefit. I’ve met a lot of great people through this venture, including my partners, vendors, restaurant owners and let’s not forget to mention bartenders and sales people at liquor stores. They can really help your business, if they like you. It’s best to get in their good graces as early as you can.

Free booze is a great benefit, but it sounds like the people are the better one. Speaking of people, any advice for readers who might be interested in following in your footsteps?
 Never give up your dreams. I has taken me over 6 years to get here. It will probably be a few more before I make any money. Just so everyone knows, this has to be a passion, it is definitely not a get rich quick thing. You don’t have to get the best or most expensive equipment, but do get quality equipment. You will use it a lot, hopefully. Also, go with someone that has designed equipment for this industry before. Get references. That way you will know who to ask for advice.

Anything new on the horizon?
 The entire distillery is new!

I suppose it is. Ok, so when we visit, do we get a tour? And where can we buy your products? 
 Yes, we will offer tours and tastings for free to the public (must be over 21). Our initial roll-out is in South Carolina, beginning with Charleston and Hilton Head. 

Anything else you'd like to plug? Website? Twitter? 
 Our website is up and running. www.stripedpigdistilllery.com. We are also active on Twitter (@dstilld), Facebook (www.facebook.com/striped.pig.distillery). You can soon find us on YouTube and Instagram. Please stop by and visit when you’re in town. Rumor has it that Charleston has a lot more to see than just us!

I've only been there once, but I'll second that. It's a lovely city and I can't wait to come back. And next time I visit, I now have a stop built in. Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions.