How many of each bottle size

[B&Co]

Before you had specific orders for specific bottle sizes, how many of each bottle size (750ml, 1L, and 1.75ml) would you recommend ordering/filling in the beginning?

 

 

[indyspirits]

We didnt (and still dont) sell 1L or 1.75L. Rather we do about 90% 750ml and 10% 375ml.  The number depends on the MOQ from your vendor -- probably a pallet of each.

 

 

 

 

[Silk City Distillers]

We tend to do the very small batch, unique, limited volume products in 375ml to allow for more people to buy and try, whereas the mainstream products are all 750ml.  We rarely, if ever, bottle the same product in both bottle sizes.

I wouldn't sell the same product in both bottle sizes, side by side, in the tasting room.  I'd wager a guess this would reduce tasting room sales revenue.

Some specific retailers carry our 375ml, but significantly less than 750ml.  Like I said above, this tends to be fairly unique product that needs to be "sold" in person, which lends itself to the tasting room, but not to retail.  Bartenders HATE 375ml, especially if it's a funny bottle shape.

We don't do anything in the bigger 1-1.75ml bottles, the pricing would end up being fairly high, the demand fairly low, and the cost to bring in additional bottle sizes and labels wouldn't be cost effective.

[Tom Lenerz]

Echoing these guys, sticking to one format (750ml in a 6 pack most likely) per product makes the most sense. When we started, because of limited availability of inventory and pre-existing high traffic we were doing a lot of 375ml bottles. We are in the process of transitioning most SKUs to the 750ml format. 

[dhdunbar]

Follow the advice of the small distillers who know their markets. 

My experience is that the 1 liter bottles historically were used by large suppliers as a way around offering the same products for sale in monopoly states and open states, since the monopoly states often required affirmation pricing, i.e. a statement that the suppliers  weren't selling to anyone, anywhere, for less than they were selling to the state.   Generally, suppliers did not offer both 750 and 1 liter sizes in the same market. But it has been some time since I've had occasion to look into that.  Affirmation led to some interesting invoicing schemes to hide the price that open state retailers were paying when the supplier wanted to produce promote in some markets but not others.  As I recall, the larger sizes were also used in on premises sales and for some products that people tend to buy - and consume -  in bulk , like inexpensive vodka  

[bluestar]

We find 750 best for distribution, both for on-premise and off-premise retailers. An exception is some boutique off-premise retailers like the 375 and we like to have the 375 available at the distillery retail shop. So, we make a few products that appeal to boutique retailers available through distributor in 375, but many others are in 375 only at the distillery. We also have done some special limited bottlings at 200 and 1.75 on the request of customers, but not for general sale.