The old label, printed again
The designer sent version six of the gin label. Version five was approved by the owner, then the adviser suggested a wording change, which became version six. The printer received version five by mistake because it was attached to an earlier email in the thread. The labels arrive, go on the line, and the difference is spotted halfway through the run.
For whisky, each batch or single cask release may need its own strength, cask number and bottle count on the label, which multiplies the versions to keep straight.
Why label versions get muddled
Label artwork passes between the designer, the owner, sales, production and sometimes an adviser and importers. Each sends comments by email. Files are saved with names like 'final', 'final2' and 'final FINAL'. The approval is a reply in a thread. The printer order and the bottling plan are made by different people who each pick what they think is the latest file.
- Artwork files are named inconsistently.
- Approvals are email replies, not recorded sign-offs.
- Batch-specific details are typed onto artwork by hand.
- The printer receives whatever file was attached.
- The bottling team does not check the label version against the run.
What the wrong label costs
Reprinted labels, relabelled bottles, and sometimes bottles that cannot be sold as they are. Delayed runs while the right labels are printed. And the risk of a label with details that do not match what is in the bottle, which is the kind of mistake you want to catch long before it leaves the distillery.
What must be on a label is for you and your adviser. We make sure the version they approved is the one printed and applied.
A label register linked to printing and bottling
- Each label has an entry: product, market, version history and the artwork file for each version.
- Each version moves through the approvals you set: design, owner, adviser if required, importer for export markets. Each sign-off is recorded with name and date.
- Only the approved version can be sent to the printer, from the register, with the order recorded.
- For batch-specific labels, strength, cask numbers and bottle counts are filled from the batch or run record rather than typed, and the proof is approved like any other version.
- The bottling run shows the label version it needs. The line team scans or checks the label roll or box against the run before starting.
- When a version is replaced, old stock of the previous label is flagged so it is not used by mistake.
| Step | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Latest artwork | Guess from file names | Versioned in the register |
| Approval | Reply in a thread | Recorded sign-off |
| Batch details | Typed onto artwork | Filled from the run record |
| Printer order | Whatever was attached | Approved version only |
| Line check | By eye, if at all | Checked against the run |
Only the approved label reaches the line
Everyone works from the same register. Approvals are clear and recorded. Batch details come from the records they describe. The line team checks labels against the run in seconds. Old labels are retired on purpose. Reprints and relabelling become rare, and when an adviser asks who approved a version, the answer is on screen.
Is this your label process?
- Artwork files are named 'final' more than once.
- Approvals are email replies.
- Batch details are typed onto labels by hand.
- The wrong version has been printed or applied.
- Old label stock is sometimes used by mistake.