Press Release: GPI Announces the 2025 Clear Choice Awards Winners in Glass Packaging

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GPI Announces the 2025 Clear Choice Awards Winners in Glass Packaging
Winning Glass Containers Showcase Brand Innovation & Sustainability
 

Arlington, VA – May 13, 2025 – The Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Clear Choice Awards (CCA), which celebrate North America’s top brands and manufacturers for outstanding glass packaging design. The awards highlight brands that use glass containers to create compelling consumer experiences, communicate brand stories, and advance sustainability.

The 2025 CCA winners (listed by category, brand and glass container manufacturer) are: 

• Beer, Cider & Malt Based Beverages:
  Little Kings Cream Ale (Ardagh Glass Packaging) -- Keeping nostalgia alive, the winning Little Kings bottle pays homage to its 1958 seven-ounce green glass bottle originally created as a beer chaser for bourbon shots. Reviving the original recipe, the Ohio-based brand's iconic 7 oz. green glass bottle was primed for a comeback.
   
• Food:
  Ball® 140th Anniversary Jar (Ardagh Glass Packaging) -- The collector’s edition Anniversary Jar celebrates the 140-year history of Ball® home canning as a beloved staple in kitchens across the country. Embossed with an ornate design to honor patterns from the 1880s, the jars reminisce patterns and designs that have graced homes of jar lovers and devoted canners for generations. The Anniversary Jar commemorates a legacy of preservation and creativity Ball® has been known for since 1884.
   
• Spirits:
  • Whiskey Division:
    John Chester Ross & Sons Whiskey (ByQuest) -- Inspired by the 1800s vintage designs, The Mallet bottle housing John Chester Whiskey blends modern craftsmanship with nods to historical whiskey-making traditions. The vintage silhouette revives the timelessness and sophistication of a Spirit made for today’s discerning whiskey lovers.
     
  • Non-Whiskey Division (Tie):
    Mezcal Creyente Azul (Saverglass) -- Inspired by the mythical creature, the chimera in Mezcal Creyente Azul symbolizes a blend of diverse elements. The copper cap is a nod to the heritage and mystique of Oaxaca. The bottle captures an essence of mystery and beauty found in Mexican craftsmanship. Ribbing encircles the bottle to illustrate orange wheels that would best bring out the tequila’s citrus undertones
    
    Tequila Ocho (Saverglass) -- Tequila Ocho is bottled in clear, embossed glass for a rustic look reflecting the artisanship of a carefully crafted tequila preserved by founder and third-generation distiller, Carlos Camaren. The pattern etched into the bottle mirrors a panoramic view of Ocho's single estate agave fields, exemplifying a commitment to offering an authentic and unique tequila through slow farming and production.
     
• Spirits-based RTP (Ready To Pour):
  Losophe The New Margarita (ByQuest) -- The sleek and modern design of Losophe premium organic margarita from actor and director Aisha Tyler with partner James Kim, elevates the RTD/RTP category. The high-shouldered profile and elegance of The Torpedo bottle features veins of gold inspired by Japanese art and magnified through the crystal-clear walls of the bottle.
   
• Wine:
  Zilly (Ardagh Glass Packaging) -- A bottle designed to "Make the Moment", as Zilly was coined to capture the zest and silly that life has to offer. Bright colors and Stelvin brand screw caps deliver on the brand's joyous, inviting vibe to hold its sparkling wine and celebrate special moments.
   
• Non-Alcoholic Beverages:
  Volleman’s Family Farm 32 oz. Refillable Milk (Ardagh Glass Packaging) -- Essential for dairy return and refill programs, these glass bottles are a canvas for Volleman's Family Farm milk and the "Texas Bluebonnet" label, emblematic of Volleman’s commitment to its local community. The bottle design vibrantly showcases winning artwork by a 9-year-old patient’s entry in the 2023 Children’s Health Art Competition, resulting in a portion of proceeds from every bottle sold with the illustration supporting patients and their families.
   
• Sustainability & Innovation:
  Chameleon Cold-Brew (Ardagh Glass Packaging) -- Chameleon’s legacy bottle shape embodies tradition and trustworthiness, lending to the lasting presence and premium cold-brew quality. Short, rounded shoulders with bold labels, Chameleon Cold-Brew commands attention on shelves while ensuring comfort and drinkability.
   
• Global Member Package for North American Market:
  Jean Baptiste Silver Rum (ByQuest and Heinz-Glas)) -- Evoking the elegance and refinement of French-Caribbean heritage, the Obelisque Jean Baptiste bottle is an invitation to enjoy the rebirth of artisanal techniques in Cajun rum distilling. Bridging history and modernity with clean lines and opulent details, this bottle honors Jean Baptiste LeMoyne, the "Father of Louisiana”.

Since 1989, the Clear Choice Awards have honored brands that leverage glass packaging to elevate their brand identity, stand out in the market, and meet sustainability goals.

"I want to thank all the entries in the 2025 Clear Choice Awards and congratulate the winners,” said Scott DeFife, President of GPI. “North American glass container manufacturers are making some great domestic and sustainable glass bottles and jars, and they gave the judges some tough decisions. This year, we had so many spirits entries, that I used the President’s prerogative to split the spirits industry into the Whiskey Division and the Non-Whiskey Division. Congratulations to all the winners, and the great teams making those bottles and containers at plants across North America!”

The winning glass containers were chosen by an independent panel of food and beverage packaging experts including Jeff Cioletti, Editor-In-Chief of Craft Spirits Magazine; Tom Bobak, Editor-in-Chief of American Craft Beer; Adrianne DeLuca, Assistant Managing Editor at BevNET and NOSH; and Janelle Mendoza, Ocean Prime DC Beverage Director. The panel evaluated entries based on four key criteria: overall package design (including container, label, and closure), shelf impact, the strength of the brand or product’s storytelling, and innovation in container form and product category.

The winning products can be viewed on the GPI website.

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About the Glass Packaging Institute
Founded in 1919 as the Glass Container Association of America, the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) is the trade association representing the North American glass container industry. On behalf of glass container manufacturers, GPI promotes glass as the optimal packaging choice, advances environmental and recycling policies, advocates industry standards, and educates packaging professionals. Follow GPI on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for updates on all things glass. Learn more at www.gpi.org.