When Piedmont Distillers was founded in 2005, it became North Carolina’s first legal distillery since prohibition. In the years since, they’ve launched an impressive range of distinctive spirits, and we’ve been proud to work together on distinctive packaging to match.
“Early on we were dealing with a number of different manufacturers and suppliers and the quality was not there, the customer service was not there,” says Joe Michalek, founder of Piedmont Distillers. “We needed a partnership with somebody who could meet our needs. Now all our glass comes from O-IPS.”
There are so many collaborations we could discuss, from Midnight Moon Moonshine’s classic jars and Method + Standard Vodka’s elegant profile to Nelly’s whiskey-inspired MoShine bottles. But you’d be hard pressed to find a bottle design with a richer story than those we created for the Bobby Jones Clover Whiskey Collection.
Bobby Jones Clover Whiskey Collection
Created in partnership with the family of golf’s greatest gentleman and champion, this line of single-barrel, straight whiskeys demanded packaging worthy of the Bobby Jones legacy.
“We wanted something that denoted sophistication and differentiation,” says Joe. Together we chose the Grandeur bottle from our Covet line. By starting with one of our stock designs and adding customizations, we were able to create something truly unique while remaining cost effective.
“On whiskey shelves, everybody’s in these soft-shouldered, tall bottles,” says Joe. “The Clover has this sharp-edged square bottle with a beautiful thick plate on the bottom—all reinforcing quality.”
The Clover’s name was curated from something very special to Bobby Jones. Born on St. Patrick’s Day, his mother gave him a four-leaf clover medallion, which Bobby put on a pocket watch. He wore that watch every single time he played golf, rubbing it for good fortune just before tee off.
“We named the collection Clover because of that personal history,” says Joe. “The four virtues of the four-leaf clover are hope, faith, love, and luck. Great in life, great in golf, and great when you’re making exceptional whiskey. And those four words are embossed into the bottles. So you have a legendary backstory and then you have exceptional world-class whiskey that join together and put in O-IPS’s outstanding glass.
“It really does stand out. We see our bottles on display in glass cases with the Pappy Van Winkles of the world. When you’re in that kind of company, it really makes a statement about the brand.”
As Piedmont continues to grow, we partner with them to create new innovations, such as the 50ml version of their Midnight Moon Moonshine jars.
“People cannot resist picking them up at the register. It’s growing to be a significant part of our business. We’re using them in our Midnight Moon as well as our Nelly MoShine brand. Among all those plastic airplane bottles, it stands out quite a bit.”
