The Kraken Black Spiced Rum
A limited edition of The Kraken’s spiced rum in a Wade ceramic decanter. The bottle was already well known — apothecary shape, twin handles — but moving its artwork onto fired ceramic meant rebuilding the decoration around a firing schedule instead of a print run.
The Challenge
Ceramic shrinks as it fires, and no two bodies come out identical. Decoration is specified as glaze and firing stages, not an ink build, so the existing glass artwork couldn’t simply be transferred. Fine detail either fills in under glaze or breaks up across the curve of the shoulder.
The Approach
Artwork was re-proportioned to the fired body, line weights opened up where glaze would close them, and the wrap re-plotted to clear the handles and seams. Everything was specified by glaze and firing stage, then judged on fired samples rather than flat proofs. Detail that wouldn’t hold was redrawn, not dropped.
The Result
The decanter shipped as a 700mL, 40% ABV limited edition and is now among the most sought-after Kraken releases, trading well above its original retail price. On fired ceramic the artwork reads as boldly as it does on glass.