Uncle Val’s Handcrafted Gin today unveiled a fresh new look for its small-batch botanical sipping gins. The formulas and California-based production for all four expressions, Botanical, Restorative, Peppered, and Zested (each priced at SRP $39), will remain unchanged, but the Uncle Val’s bottles and labels will now reflect a bolder, more modern design. This brand update comes on the eve of Negroni Week, September 16th through the 22nd, when bars and restaurants around the world mix classic Negronis and Negroni variations in support of the global Slow Food movement.
Uncle Val’s Gin is the flagship gin label from fourth-generation Sonoma vintner August Sebastiani and his wine and spirits négociant, 3 Badge Beverage Corporation. Uncle Val’s launched in 2012 with the Botanical Gin, followed in 2014 with the Restorative and Peppered expressions, and finally the Zested Gin in 2021. The new label design marks the brand’s first package refresh, and the Botanical Gin will be the first to roll out with the new look.
“We conceptualized this new look to better reflect the elevated quality that goes into our ultra-premium gins.” said Sebastiani. “Our refreshed packaging puts us in a better position to rival our modern gin competitors and create more pop on the shelf while retaining the authenticity and traditional values of Uncle Val’s Handcrafted Gin.”
Sebastiani developed the Uncle Val’s line as an homage to his great uncle, Valerio Cecchetti, a physician who had an affinity for gardening in his quaint village outside Lucca, Italy. The herbs Uncle Val grew were not only perfectly suited for the local cuisine but also happened to make exceptionally unique and uncommonly smooth sipping gin. Recreating that flavor profile while also inspired by his family’s vinous background, Sebastiani’s deeply flavored, complex gins are – like wine – best when enjoyed paired with food.
Though the look of Uncle Val’s remains inspired by bitter bottles from the 18th and 19th centuries with their strong, tapered shoulders, the antique green bottle hue has been replaced with a cleaner, flint glass that will now reflect a proprietary glass mold unique to Uncle Val’s. The label continues to evoke ornate old-world spirit designs, with its signature cursive font, understated color palette, and Roman coin-styled illustration of Uncle Val, with cleaner lines and bolder coloring on the capsule and lower strip that differentiates each of the four expressions.
Made in small batches, each bottle is numbered and has one of four bottom labels featuring some of Uncle Val’s more notable sayings, like “A closed mouth catches no flies.” Together, the bottle, labels and, of course, the gin evoke a dedication to craftsmanship that is still very much alive in Uncle Val’s Italy.
Perfumed with fresh botanicals and spices, the Botanical, Restorative, Peppered, and Zested expressions evoke the bounty of Uncle Val’s summer garden. Though their graceful nuances enable gin purists to enjoy them neat over ice or with a splash of natural soda, they imbue any cocktail with complex energy, and all four find their own particular intrigue in a classic Negroni. For more information about Uncle Val’s Gin, please visit unclevalsgin.com
