US: New packaging and launch from SakéOne

SakéOne, the only American-owned and operated sake producer, has redesigned the packaging for its Moonstone brand and introduced a new flavour-infused sake.

The new addition to the range is its Coconut Lemongrass Nigori (cloudy) sake. The new offering is a 'genshu', or full-strength, version of the Japanese rice wine.

"Coconut Lemongrass is the result of what was very much a passion-driven creative endeavour," said Dewey Weddington, vice president of marketing at SakéOne. "Our goal, with all infused sake, is to balance the flavours so that the sum of the characteristics blend into something new and exciting. Coconut Lemongrass is the most exciting flavour we've ever created and after having nearly a thousand people sample it, we are confident it will become a popular sake."

Moonstone, the world's first flavour-infused sake brand, was first launched in 2000. The range includes Asian Pear, Raspberry and a Plum.

The updated look for the brand retains the blue bottle but uses an applied ceramic label, which is designed "to reflect the concept of infusing sake and establish a playful yet upscale feel". Each product in the range has its own colour and graphic application to reflect the different flavours.

"Our goal was to create a fresh look that captured the brand identity of Moonstone while increasing shelf presence and presentation of the package," said Weddington. "The final design is fluid, intriguing and very eye-catching."