Corks vs. Screw Caps
For the past five years, maybe longer, we’ve been working toward the ultimate goal of moving completely away from the use of corks as bottle closures. The reason? Corks are unreliable and can compromise the overall product quality. Cork taint is more common in wine, but whiskey is not immune to it. Corks become brittle, break and rise or even pop off in the heat. With that said, change is hard. Whiskey consumers in the US are now accustomed to corks on high end whiskey bottles and the vast majority of high end whiskies currently utilize a cork closure. Some will take the change harder than others and potentially draw the wrong conclusions. So, let’s weigh the pros and cons of our closure options.
Cork:
Pros:
Cork has a nice aesthetic associated with premium products and has been historically significant in sealing bottles of spirit. Many still believe that it is a sign of quality.
Cork closures are used by most premium brand whiskies (Japanese whiskies being a notable exception)
May be applied by machine or human.
Cons:
Although a minor difference in cost, cork is generally more expensive.
Cork taint does exist in whiskey (see TCA - Trichloroanisole). This chemical can cause spirits to taste of wet cardboard and mold / must.
Corks can be difficult to place back into the neck of a bottle after being removed.
Corks can become brittle, can break or disintegrate into the bottle/spirit, can “pop off” in a high temperature environment (e.g. Texas), and can cause issues in the bottle seal.
Screw caps:
Pros:
They stay put. Especially with the help of an additional seal (e.g. shrink top or pilfer strip), screw caps will not struggle to maintain their seal until they are in the hands of a customer.
They can be affordable. Although custom caps are comparable in price to corks, many screw caps are offered as a stock item and at an affordable rate.
Modern screw caps are designed to twist on/off with less than one full rotation, making it more convenient to open and close the bottle. Re-sealing after opening is not a problem.
May be applied by machine or person.
Cons:
Many customers believe that anything except a cork is a sign of an inferior product.
ROPP (Roll On Pilfer Proof, thin metal closures pressed into the bottle threads to form a seal) - used on Bendt Cream bottle
Pros:
High speed application
Machine applied
Low cost
Many stock options
Good option for liqueurs / creams
Cons:
Lightweight with a cheaper aesthetic
100% reliant on machinery for application - no human backup option. In cases of machinery failure or repairs, delivery of finished goods will likely be delayed.
We’ve spent the past 18 months custom designing a screw cap to perfectly fit the BENDT and UNBendt whiskey lines. Factors considered were material, weight, ease of application, ease of use for customers, appearance, security of the bottle seal, cost and ease in procuring. The cap that was ultimately designed is black metal, easy to apply/remove, limited rotations for removal, heavier weight and extra tall. We felt that this was the perfect fit for a whiskey made for those who love and appreciate handcrafted Texas whiskey, made by and for Texans. It protects the contents of the bottle without risking contamination, spillage or breakage, is unpretentious and is perfectly functional. And while we’re currently wrapping up one of the hottest Texas summers on record and are fielding a number of heat related cork issue complaints, we are excited to be one step closer to putting cork issues behind us. Cheers!
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