The Spirit of Great Labels
Luxury spirits, heritage storytelling and labels that make customers stop, stare and sip.
Exeter Gin isn’t just a drink…it’s a story bottled up. With roots in Roman and Viking history and a sister brand steeped in family heritage, Exeter Gin has carved out a reputation as a luxury brand that champions quality over novelty. Working closely with inkREADible Labels, Exeter Gin has elevated its packaging to reflect its premium positioning - proving that the right label can be as powerful as the product inside. We spoke to Karen, the managing Director of Exeter Gin, and these are her words…
Tell us a bit about Exeter Gin — and how long have we been working together?
We are predominantly an award-winning heritage luxury brand that promotes the city of Exeter, by way of talking about our Roman & Viking history. Our sister brand Granny Garbutt's is very much about family heritage, including foraging and allotment growing. We are certainly storytellers, and if you look at our Trustpilot, you will see this. Our customer service is 5-star as we talk to customers, not at them, so no commercial spiel! We are also the proud owners of a 3-star Great Taste Award.
We've worked with Linda at inkREADible for several years to elevate our brand. We don’t do novelty; we want quality and eco where possible. Linda has worked on improving our labels, which is a juggle as cost is an issue with any business linked to hospitality. Working with inkREADible means we get our printing and label requirements aligned for the best price, which has been super helpful.
What label finishes or details help your bottles stand out on the shelf?
Our new labels command a high level of design with luxury materials and foiling, resulting in a massive increase in people stopping at the Christmas Market and in the gin school, commenting on how beautiful they looked. Consequently, we saw an increase in sales at this crucial period and is continuing to do so with elevated sales in January. All the labels we have done with you have seen boosted sales.
Did you face any label challenges, and how did we help solve them?
The advice to use a different material for smaller sizes was super helpful and still had the same uplift in appearance from what we were using. We were tempted to go with the same material as the larger bottles, but were advised not to and rightly so.
We also have many designs, including white labels (find out more about our white labels here), so Linda has kindly catalogued them with a file sent to me so we can use the codes to discuss individual items for any alterations. To get the cost down, we have used a design that fits 2 sizes, which means the more we order (which we can now do as it fits 2 sizes), the cheaper the per-item cost, which is crucial.
What do you love most about your labels and working with inkREADible?
The relationship, it feels like I’m working with family. It feels like old-fashioned values, trustworthy, about us, not about over-selling and over-pricing, time to get things right (old saying measure twice, cut once), so much, but I can’t think of another supplier where I have such a good relationship and trust value. I feel like I have so much more respect and understanding, which makes it much easier to invest in not just your first class finished labels, but also your people.
Would you recommend us — and how do you see us supporting your brand going forward?
Yes, I would, and I do because I can entrust inkREADible to my friends and white label clients, and most of all, I can trust them with competition as we spend so much time and expense on product development. Continuing as we are with your 5-star customer service, advice, and help in how best to keep our costs under control.
Label It a Success
From foiled finishes (to find out about the foiling embellishment technique mentioned, click here) that stop shoppers in their tracks to clever cost-saving solutions that keep quality high without breaking the bank, Exeter Gin’s partnership with inkREADible Labels shows how collaboration can transform packaging into a true brand asset. More than suppliers, inkREADible has become a trusted ally, bringing old-fashioned values, modern design, and practical advice together in one relationship. The result? Labels that don’t just look good, but drive sales, build trust, and help Exeter Gin continue to grow as a heritage brand with a modern edge.
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