Starting next year, you'll be able to start drinking out of a paper bottle thanks to Johnnie Walker. Spirits company Diageo, maker of such brands as Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, and Smirnoff, among others, has teamed up with venture management company Pilot Lite to launch Pulpex, a sustainable packaging company.
One of Pulpex's first missions was to offer Johnnie Walker Scotch whiskey in a paper bottle that doesn't use plastics. The newly formed firm will also create similar packaging in other categories, including for PepsiCo and Unilever, which makes Lipton iced tea. Diageo says it's the first company to come up with a paper bottle for spirits that can be recycled.
The bottle uses a spray coating to form a barrier so the liquid doesn't seep out. The new Johnnie Walker bottle will be part of a limited-edition trial run starting in spring 2021.