Austrian brand For Fellows has launched 4X50 R.N.P. Superior Premium Rum. The bespoke bottle with leather label and solid brass closure nestles in a thermoformed pack made from cardboard offcuts.
For Fellows called on New-York based creative director Alex Wiederin to design the bottle and logo for its 4X50 R.N.P. Superior Premium Rum. The bespoke, extra flint glass flacon (Stoelzle Glass Group) boasts rounded shoulders and a heavy base.
According to the glassmaker, some elements of the original concept could not be achieved via traditional molding. The profiles were thus modified to create a more flowing shape externally; coupled with the resulting internal glass distribution, this provided very similar visual cues.
The bottle also had to stand on two “feet” to allow the leather label to pass from the front of the bottle to the rear in a single piece. “The bottle is very heavy, with a large proportion of the glass in the base,” notes Stoelzle. “The challenge was to maintain a smooth surface around the entire label area, while stopping the semi-molten glass from sinking and therefore losing its profile. We achieved this by using high heat conductive material, allowing the label to be applied and retaining the “bridge” effect that is visible when viewing the bottle from the front and the back.”
Obtaining the solid glass profiles visible in the base and in the sidewalls required careful design of the external profiles and edges as well as a precise design of the blank mold.
The hand-applied label is made from goat leather offcuts used to make lederhosen sourced from For Fellows co-founder Markus Meindel’s family leather business. It is laser engraved with the brand logo of two crossed swords, a symbol of friendship. The cap (Lanza Metallwaren) is in chrome-plated brass.
The cardboard pack (Flatz) that hugs the contours of the bottle is thermoformed – using paper waste generated from industrial paper production at Flatz’s factory in Austria. Made of 100% recycled and FSC-certified material, it sports a rigid structure and smooth surface.
Crafted by For Fellows co-founder and master distiller Hans Reisetbauer, 4x50 blends molasses from Mauritius and alpine water. The rum is matured in Ysper oak casks and has “spicy aromas, smoky notes, delicate caramel and hints of orange zest”.
4x50 was founded by four friends who established a “rum council” comprised of 50 members -- sommeliers, mixologists, top chefs and experts -- to create a new standard for super-premium rum, called the R.N.P standard.
BottleStoelzle
CapLanza Metallwaren
Label materialMeindl
BoxFlatz
DesignAlex Wiederin
