Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout has released a collector’s bottle with Constantia Flexibles’ flag label. The company sought to heighten the drinking experience by designing a custom bottle. Instead of the typical 12- and 22-ounce bottles, Bourbon County Brand Stout is now packaged in a 16.9-ounce brown bottle with embossed lettering. Constantia Flexibles was tasked with creating a premium neck and back label for this custom bottle.

Goose Island challenged Constantia Flexibles to execute on an idea to add a flag to the neck label, drawing consumer attention at the shelf and highlighting Goose Island’s legacy as the originators of bourbon barrel aging. The neck label is a full wrap with a 5/8” tab that pops out from the bottle. Special treatment was applied to the neck label to allow for two sided printing of the flag component and to ensure it maintained its perpendicular shape once applied. The back label was tapered to match the taper of the bottle with a custom diecut shape.

The Bourbon County Stout brand began back in 1992 when its brewmaster broke the mold by brewing a stout beer in barrels that previously held Jim Beam bourbon.  Bourbon County Stout was a huge hit that helped launch the barrel-aged stout movement. To this day, Bourbon County Brand Stouts are sought after by beer enthusiasts. 

For 23 years, Goose Island has released only a limited quantity on Black Friday.  While many flock to shops, beer lovers stand outside for hours and sometimes days to get their hands on the year’s Bourbon County series.