IMBIBE

Hangar One Vodka Blimp Tour

Hangar One Vodka has long been a favorite of mine. From their quirky, seasonal flavored offerings (Buddha’s Hand Citron, anyone?) to the eponymous vintage airplane hangar that serves as their headquarters in Alameda, California - Hangar One is not your run-of-the-mill liquor brand. As the company has purposely eschewed standard publicity tactics such as club partnerships and celebrity-laden party-throwing in favor of a craft cocktail series and creation of self-promoting, limited edition flavors such as Chipotle and Wasabi, it’s no surprise that their latest advertising stint is not exactly a party bus. The Hangar One Vodka Blimp Tour harkens back to the brand’s aerial origins by sending a fully-branded zeppelin on a twenty-city, cross-country journey, landing at planned destinations along the way in order to host bartender “mix offs” using their hand-crafted vodka as the key ingredient. Destined to land at home in California by the end of November, the 120’ long blimp’s promotional material includes some lovely commissioned drawings and a bottle of classic Hangar One alongside information on where and when to spot their flying brand ambassador and - why not? - a map and some stickers.

Imbibe responsibly and learn more about the Hangar One Vodka Blimp Tour here.

Hendrick’s Gin Mobile

Hendrick’s is no stranger to “curiously” quirky ad campaigns. Originally promoting their rose and cucumber-infused gin as “not for everyone” was a ballsy out-of-the-gate maneuver, but it worked wondrously. Now a globally-acknowledged luxury spirit brand with an esoteric sense of humor, Hendrick’s has poured more money into another funky form of publicity: the Gin Mobile. Customizing a 1961 Rover 80 model P4 with a tonic-dispensing bar, full gin-displaying panel and a specially-made steering wheel among other additions, the company has crafted quite a beautiful vintage vehicle. Tweed and leather interiors add to the unique brand-promoting experience. Currently zipping around Scotland - it will be interesting to see how far around the globe Hendrick’s Gin Mobile makes it before retirement. 

Kanon Organic Vodka

Hailing from Sweden (like one if its infamous counterparts, SVEDKA), Kanon Organic Vodka has launched itself onto the wine and spirits scene lately with a full-scale rebranding campaign, a new website and its very own Coachella party.

Organic vodkas have been around for awhile now, but they tend to position themselves as earthy and responsible rather than cool and modern. Kanon, on the other hand, has taken the latter approach by emphasizing their locally-sourced, multiple-distilled grain vodka’s apparently close ties with the fashion and music communities. Nowhere in their branding is there a message of guilt or fear of global warming - instead, Kanon stresses that organic vodka is, in fact, better-tasting and smoother due to the fresher ingredients and lack of chemicals present in their Swedish libation.  Following up with a final interesting spin on their history, Kanon’s website also stresses how, since their distillery has been in operation since the 1500s, back in the ancient times there was no such things as non-organic vodka as chemicals and preservatives didn’t exist.

Heritage, quality and serious fashion cred make for a formidable trifecta for the new Kanon brand. In addition to making friends like Jeremy Scott, Phillip Lim & Lykke Li as well as throwing parties at Coachella and giving away concert tickets - the bottle’s not hard to look at either. By taking the modern hipster route rather than employing traditional environmentalist tactics, Kanon’s off to a good start of rebranding their product.