Oronoco flows for Diageo at Starpack awards

Diageo romped home in this year's Starpack packaging awards, scooping the supreme gold award and the top prize in three other categories for its Oronoco super-premium Brazilian white rum bottle.

Designed by Gordon Smith, Smith & Co, the flint glass bottle from Saverglass, which features an embossed banded leather wrap depicting a map of Brazil, scooped gold awards in the best consumer pack, food; best use of innovative materials; and best designer/design house categories.

Judges for the awards, which attracted a record 867 individual entries, said the pack “just has to be touched and owned” and was so beautifully designed that it was impossible to criticise it as an example of overpackaging.

Following close behind in the awards tally was Plastohm's PopUp cap used in the Disney Children's range of bath time products. The package, which features the first push button flip top cap, scooped gold in the best consumer convenience packaging and best component categories.

The best shelf-ready pack gong went to Taylowe for its shelf-ready pack for Options and Ovaltine drinks, while NamPak Cartons romped home in the best in creative cartonboard category for its sandwich packs for Marks & Spencer.

The best flexible plastic innovation prize was picked up by Excelsior Technologies' Zip 'n' Steam re-sealable pouches featuring several patented innovations including an inbuilt pressure valve and a re-sealable zip.

An unusual wedge-shaped bottle for the cachaca-based spirit Sambao won a gold for Diageo and Allied Glass Containers in the best innovation in glass packaging category, while Robinson Paperboard Packaging collected the top prize for best innovative pack for its Cool-Air pack designed to keep wine cool for up to four hours.

The prizes were presented last night at a glittering awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, featuring radio and TV personality Marcus Brigstocke and BBC sports presenter Hazel Irvine.

Run by IOP: The Packaging Society, the Starpack awards have been running since 1960.