The 750-mL bottle is a replica of a popular flask bottle developed during U.S. Prohibition for the frequent smuggling of Canadian Club into the U.S. The back of the bottle features an engraved depiction of the famous distillery gates, located at the original Canadian Club distillery in Walkerville, Ontario, Canada. Says Dave Waluk, brand director of whiskies at Southfield, MI-based Hiram Walker & Sons, Inc., "The bottle shape is a reflection of the turbulent times in which the bottle was introduced. The more robust glass and the shorter neck were designed to help bottles 'travel' more reliably at a time when rough handling and hurried loading--often at night--were the order of the day. The concave flask shape allowed the bottles to be packaged more tightly to fit as many bottles into smaller vehicles. The gently curved bottles also conformed more snugly to a variety of body parts, allowing them to be more easily transported by 'innovative importers'." Supplied by Hillsboro Glass (Hillsboro, IL), the bottle weighs 22 oz--6 oz heavier than standard 750-mL glass bottles. The 200#-test, C-flute shippers, artfully designed to resemble wooden crates of old, are supplied by Georgia-Pacific (Atlanta, GA). Graphics are printed flexo in five colors plus varnish. Canadian Club is supporting the new "Gate" bottle with special point-of-purchase sale material including a neck hanger containing historical background on C.C. The flask is priced "at parity" with C.C. in conventional bottles.
