After a year of research and development - and enrolling the resources of six countries - the Van Gogh brand stands out as an eye-catching family of products that are works of art in themselves. The bottles were designed in the United States to create an effect never before seen in spirits packaging. Vincent Vodka features a look-through window that magnifies a series of van Gogh paintings silk-screened in 16 colors, which move in and out of view when the bottle is turned. Van Gogh Gin pictures a continuous image of an Amsterdam canal; when the bottle turns, it's like taking a walk through the city. To achieve the pristine look-through panel, and top and bottom portions etched in perfect white, Luctor went to Germany, where the clearest glass is made. It took a feat of engineering to give the bottle completely square shoulders, while keeping a delicate profile, and make it strong enough to withstand stacking. How could the clear center panel be preserved when the bottles were lowered into an acid bath for etching? The French developed a system for printing a plastic base film to be applied to the panel and burned off in an oven after the bottle was removed from the acid bath. The silk-screening process was taken to world famous artisans in Belgium, where an unprecedented sixteen colors would require immaculate registration around the bottle's curves. The extreme heat used to dry silk-screening would have discolored the traditional paints, so quick-drying paints were developed. Because each color reacted differently to the heat, individual adjustments were made to arrive at the correct color combination. Even the closure presented a challenge. Natural cork would break down in the 40% alcohol content, detaching small particles that would float in the liquor, which would mar the perfect clarity of white spirits in a clear bottle. After three months of experimentation in Portugal, where much of the world's best cork is produced, a treatment was formulated to keep the corks intact while allowing them to breathe. Luctor's latest introduction - Vincent Oranje Vodka, Vincent Citroen Vodka and Starry Night Liqueur - extend the Van Gogh line with more vibrant interpretations of the great Dutch artist's work in this distinctive family of spirits bottles. |
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