Cockburn’s repackage to draw on past appearance

Symington Family Estates will unveil a new-look for Cockburn’s in autumn this year.

News of the repackage comes after the Port producer acquired the famous fortified label in October 2010, having already purchased Cockburn’s assets from Beam Global in 2006.

Although the updated appearance will be markedly different from the current square-shouldered bottle, created by Beam to modernise the brand, the upcoming Cockburn’s bottle will draw on design cues from the first incarnation of its Special Reserve, launched in 1969.

Speaking of the revision, Paul Symington, chairman of Symington Family Estates, said: “We wanted to do what BMW did to the Mini, or Fiat to the 500, and reinvent the original version of Cockburn’s Special Reserve for 2011.”

Continuing he told the drinks business, “It was iconic – and widely copied – and we thought going back to the original concept would give people comfort.”

He also said that Symington Family Estates had upped the quality of what’s in the bottle since taking over the winemaking more than four years ago. “We have improved it so it is richer, darker and more concentrated,” he explained.

“We have gone back to its roots in design and winemaking,” he stated.

For more on Symington Family Estates see July’s edition of db.