Hood River Distillers, Inc., of Hood River , Oregon , the largest and oldest distillery in the Northwest, announced that it�s introducing a new Ullr Nordic Libation targeted at winter sports enthusiasts.

To help deliver a unique, colorful, distinctive look and notable shelf appearance for its new peppermint and cinnamon flavored spirit, it called upon Saxco International, Inc., of Horsham , PA. , world-wide packaging specialists for the wine and spirits industry.

Saxco International provided a quality 750ml short neck rectangular flint bottle with tall rounded shoulders and a push up bottom for the primary package from OI Europe of Holzminden , Germany , one of the reliable vendors in its large global resource network.  They also sourced trial size 50 ml bottles from Vitro Packaging of Dallas , Texas to support the primary package launch.

After the bottles were manufactured, Saxco arranged for the front and back red, white, blue and orange pressure sensitive labels to be applied by Signature Label, of Vandalia , Ill.  The attractive multi-colored graphics, which displays Oregon �s Mt. Hood , unique Nordic logo and bold Ullr identification were created by Leopold Ketel & Partners of Portland , Oregon , Hood River Distillers� marketing agency.  Andrew Reed is the creative director for the project.  The bottle is finished off with a decorative wood top cork stopper with a red tax strip applied over the top. 

Saxco additionally supplied the custom six-bottle cases with bold Hood River Distillers graphics through International Paper in Louisville , Kentucky , another in its cordon of national and international vendors.

Hood River Distillers describes Ullr as a god of snow, son of Sif, step-son of Thor and the Norse god of skiing.  Just as it is good to invoke his name in duels, it is appropriate when you start a run, go off a kicker or attack steep moguls.  He is who you pray to for snow when the mountains are bare and pay homage to with libation at the end of the day on the mountain.

According to Erik Svenson, vice president of sales Western USA, �Ullr will initially be launched in Oregon then introduced nationally in a number of mountain communities later in the year.�  It is 45% alcohol by volume and offers a unique combination of peppermint and cinnamon which  can be enjoyed in a variety of ways -- in hot chocolate, coffee, on the rocks, but its unique flavor really comes through ice cold, straight up, right out of the snow.

Hood River Distillers, headquartered near the town of Hood River, Oregon , distributes spirits in more than 40 states.  The core distribution area is Oregon , Washington , Idaho , Utah , Montana and Alaska .  The company creates, produces, imports and distributes 15 brands of spirits ranging from value to premium products including Pendleton Whisky, Broker�s London Dry Gin, Yazi Ginger Vodka and Cockspur Rum.  It has a capacity of five million cases annually.

According to Jimmy Owens , project manager for Saxco International in the Louisville , Ky. office, �We were able to source all of the required elements and then provide the overall coordination to bring them together within the proper time parameters.  It�s gratifying to have played an integral role in Ullr�s successful introduction.�