The world’s best ale now has a world-class lightweighted bottle thanks to independent glass packaging specialist Rawlings and leading glass manufacturer Beatson Clark.

Robinsons Old Tom has twice been named as the World’s Best Ale at the World Beer Awards, and Robinsons Brewery tasked long-standing partner Rawlings to deliver a lightweight version of its classic bottle. Originally designed by Beatson Clark in 2005, the iconic glass bottle has been manufactured at its Rotherham facility ever since.

Rawlings, in partnership once again with glass manufacturer Beatson Clark, has supplied a new environmentally friendly, lightweight bottle, allowing the brewery to make savings on raw materials and transport costs.

The new amber bottle weighs 250g rather than the original 282g and features improved embossing of the Robinsons name and Old Tom brand on the glass.

“The benefits of lightweighting, in terms of cost reduction and environmental impact, are significant. With every new project Rawlings undertakes we aim to include an element of lightweighting,” said Tom Wood, Managing Director at Rawlings.

Lynn Sidebottom, Sales & Marketing Director at Beatson Clark, added: “The bottle shape and embossing design are the same as before, so consumers will continue to recognise the distinctive Old Tom bottle.

“However, we have used our new design software to sculpt the embossing, making it more defined as well as easier to manufacture.

“Reducing the weight of a container does not affect quality, but the benefits for the customer and for the environment are considerable,” she added.

Graeme Hall, Operations and Packaging Manager forRobinsons Brewery, commented: “Old Tom is synonymous with Robinsons Brewery and so designing a new bottle that retains its iconic look whilst being environmentally aware was a good challenge.

“Working in partnership with Beatson Clark and Rawlings, and using the latest computer software to aid the design, the new lightweight bottle has managed to retain Old Tom’s charm while ensuring that we can continue with our focus on becoming a more environmentally conscious company.”

Named after the Robinsons Brewery cat, Old Tom is almost as old as the brewery itself. The legend began in 1899 when Tom the cat basked in the sunshine while the Head Brewer sketched him into immortality.

This superior dark ale is recognised both nationally and internationally as one of the most famous strong ales, winning some of the industry’s most prestigious awards including  CAMRA Supreme Champion Winter Beer of Britain no fewer than three times.

Old Tom is available in selective Morrisons, Booths, Waitrose, Bookers and Parfetts across the north-west, as well as Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Nisa across the UK.

Watch a video showing how Old Tom is bottled here.

Notes to editors:

• Robinsons Brewery has been brewing beer in Stockport, Cheshire since 1838. It is one of the UK’s largest independent family brewers, with 330 pubs across the North West and Wales.

• Established in 1850 and based in Bristol, Rawlings is the leading independent glass packaging specialist with the reputation for sustainable quality. Rawlings designs, sources and supplies glass packaging suitable for all types of food and beverage, developing the best product packaging for your brand.

• Beatson Clark specialises in providing glass packaging solutions for niche brands in the food, drink and pharmaceutical markets worldwide. The key to its success has been flexibility, innovation and the high quality of its containers.

For media information contact:
Jez Ashberry
Shooting Star PR
01522 528540
07780 735071
jez@weareshootingstar.co.uk
@jezashberry
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