Bolls Blue 1575
The Opportunity
Bols Blue is one of the world’s most recognisable liqueurs with its electric blue hue and has been on and around cocktail menus for generations. But despite its fame, it had become somewhat hidden, often kept out of sight in speed rails rather than displayed with pride. With Bols Blue 1575, the brand set out to change this, marking 450 years of distilling heritage with a bold, premium new liquid and a redesign that reclaims its legacy and reinvigorates its place in modern mixology. Our challenge was to blend historical reverence with contemporary relevance that celebrates the brand’s origin story while confidently stepping into the future.
Services
- Product Innovation
- Visual Identity
- Glass structure
- Label Design
- Brand world
True Blue
The design draws from the spirit’s birthplace: Curaçao, the Caribbean Island synonymous with the once common ‘Lahara orange’, the original botanical in Blue Curaçao. The recipe honours that lineage but with a higher ABV from a unique infusion of spiced rum and island botanicals. The liquid has evolved and so the design needed to follow suit.
To reflect this layered, celebratory spirit, we built a visual world that combines tropical richness with crafted refinement. At the heart of it, a bottle structure inspired by a djembe drum, a symbol of rhythm, celebration, and cultural storytelling. Its broad shoulders and flared base make a statement on the shelf, while deep glass faceting catches light like crystal, elevating the blue liquid within.
Premium Detail, Functional Beauty
Every element of the design was crafted to enhance both presence and performance in the bar environment. The bottle’s faceted crown offers increased tactility for fast-paced bar work, while also catching the light to deliver maximum visual impact under bar lighting.
The label system was entirely reimagined. A vertical layout creates standout, anchoring the design in a refined, copper-foiled plaque with scalloped edges evoking vintage postage stamps and old distilling certificates. A hand-etched palm island motif connects directly back to the product’s Island’s roots, adding storytelling and decorative value without overstatement.
A unique collar band, inspired by beach bracelets, adds both texture and grip. On the cap, an embossed 450-year seal reinforces the craftsmanship and credibility of the brand, rendered with heraldic styling that speaks to Bols’ Dutch distilling legacy.
The Outcome
Bols Blue 1575 has redefined blue liqueurs, securing a prestigious position in premium mixology. It has transformed from a speed-rail staple to a back-bar showpiece, reinforcing Bols’ reputation as an innovator in the spirits world and strengthening brand engagement.
