NEFT, a premier vodka distiller, has been getting lots of attention lately. For starters, they’ve won numerous awards for flavor, being ranked by many as one of the best vodkas in the world. Much of this comes from their vodka’s unique distilling process, which involves spring water from the Austrian Alps and a mix of ancient grain rye.
The company is also dedicated to helping others. NEFT makes contributions to organizations like the Dream Street Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Project Angel Food, among others. They’re also committed to showing their support for equality, which is why they’ve launched their new Pride vodka barrel.
You’ll probably notice the distinctive packaging of NEFT vodka. Rather than a glass bottle, it’s instead served from a metal drum. There are lots of reasons for this. First of all, the metal drum is relatively unbreakable, meaning less wasted vodka! The barrel also protects the vodka from light and is heat resistant.
This means it not only keeps your vodka chilled for longer, but it also helps protect it from baking in the high temperatures of warehouses. Lastly, the barrel is much lighter than a glass bottle, meaning it requires less fuel to transport, making it more environmentally friendly.
But the barrels also provide for an unexpected benefit, the ability to become art! NEFT recruited celebrity photographer and artist Paul Robinson to become their creative director, and to design their Pride barrel. It was originally envisioned to be featured at pride celebrations around the world in June. However, the pandemic caused a change of plans. Now, rather than just being used during the month of June at select events, the pride barrel has become available to the public in stores and online and will be consistently available, rather than just being sold during pride month. It also gave Robinson the chance to help the LGBTQ community through his own art.
Designer Paul Robinson said,
Paul Robinson
“When I came out, all my relationships with everyone around me became so much better. So much more intense. So much more real.
There was just that feeling of having a weight lifted after not having to hide anymore. And the freedom that came from that is what helped inspire my art and helped inspire the design for the NEFT barrel.”
His design on the barrel depicts a bustling city filled with people of all different colors. It even shows playful dogs and soaring eagles. It’s designed to look like the kind of city we’d all want to live in and the kind of city that we all could live in if we embraced diversity and inclusion.
Robinson also revealed that he plans to reinvent the pride barrel design every year or so, ensuring that it will be a mainstay in the NEFT lineup. As the company’s new creative director, he also revealed that he will be bringing diversity into the company’s advertising campaigns as well. And not just for the LGBTQ community, but for people of all backgrounds.
The NEFT pride barrels can be purchased on the NEFT website, and at stores around the country.
