How Knockout built a peek-a-boo window gift box for Dark Sky Distillery that protects glass bottles while letting the brand's bold design shine.
Dark Sky Distillery is a family-operated craft distillery that has set itself apart by embracing responsible green distilling technology to minimize its carbon footprint. Their stills are some of the most energy efficient in the industry.
Dark Sky incorporates solar power to reduce grid demand and a rain capture system, and even recycles column cooling water through their concrete floor to offset winter heating needs.
Learn more about Dark Sky Distillery →
Dark Sky embodies 'Luxury in Every Sip,' and their packaging needed to reflect that. After a painstaking design process for their bottles, the team knew their secondary packaging needed just as much attention. They needed a custom box that held true to their brand's unique image and values while standing out in a highly competitive retail landscape, all while keeping production local.
Knockout kept the design minimalistic with a solid color and peek-a-boo windows to let the colorful bottle designs capture attention in a busy retail environment. Bold print and edgy finishing conveyed the premium message a luxury brand demands, while a die-cut logo, H-lock bottom, and locking tuck top kept every bottle secure and tamper-resistant.
The end result pairs rainbow-hued holographic foil with a matte black contrast and letter cut-outs, ensuring the package stands out from the crowd. Dark Sky is now ready to launch their gift pack into liquor stores, with the packaging entered for the 2022 FSEA Gold Leaf Awards.
A solid-color carton with cut-out windows lets the primary bottle design show through, drawing shopper attention to the bottle itself while keeping the secondary packaging visually restrained.
An H-lock bottom is a reinforced base structure that holds glass bottles securely in place during shipping and handling, reducing the risk of breakage.
A QR code gives a brand flexible, updatable messaging space on the box, from cocktail recipes to brand storytelling, without needing to reprint packaging to change the message.
Holographic foil adds a reflective, eye-catching accent that can make a product stand out on a crowded shelf, though it does add cost compared to standard ink printing.
Craft spirits brands often need packaging that protects glass bottles during transit, showcases distinctive bottle design, and reflects a premium positioning in a competitive retail category.
