Over the last few years there has been an abundance of new spirits brands launched on to a thirsty public, looking for something new and different to drown their sorrows with. As a result here at CorkLink we receive an increasing number of unusual requests for bar-top corks from brand owners looking to make their brand stand out from the crowd. Having an original cork and capsule is one way that brands are using to differentiate from the ever increasing number of competitors.
One thing we are seeing increasing demand for is natural cork (rather than agglomerated cork) either because of the more attractive look of natural cork or because of the environmental benefits of using 100% natural cork rather than agglomerated which has to use some synthetic glue to bind the cork granules together. This movement towards more environmentally materials also extends into the capsules, with increasing numbers of brands looking for a wooden as opposed to a plastic capsule (or even in some cases using a cork capsule for a bar-top).
For wooden capsules we generally recommend that customers use beech, as it has an attractive grain and gives a smooth finish once it has been machined. Beech is of course a light coloured wood, but it can easily be stained to a honey or mahogany tone.
One of the difficulties in producing wooden capsules for bar-top corks is when a client requires an unusually large capsule – for standard bar-tops we have machines that glue the cork shank to the capsule, pinging them out at thousands of corks per hour. Larger capsules will not fit in our machines however and so they have to be hand glued as show in the image below.
We produce the wooden capsules specifically to client orders and they are produced with a carefully designed recess to seat the cork shank to make sure that both the ends and the sides of the shank are clasped by the capsule – this means that the bond between capsule and shank will be stronger than the shank itself, making the weakest point of the bar-top the strength of the cork itself, rather than the bond.
If you are looking for a statement bar-top cork for your brand, please contact us and we will make sure that the engineering is in place to give you a mechanically sound bar-top as well as one to stand out from the crowd.
