It is common knowledge that tsou.gr is particularly fond of gorgeously designed packaging which elevates the optics and image of ouzo, our national drink. So, it was inevitable that our acquaintance with the “Ouzo Trilogy” retro packaging designs by the Dimitrios D. Giannatsis Plomari Distillery would instantly develop into “love at first sight”!

In their impeccably designed paper boxes redolent with anise, the three Giannatsis Ouzo labels, are wrapped in paper reminiscent of old newspapers and firmly tied with string so that their precious contents can withstand their long journey to their lucky new owners who, on opening each “magic” box find each label’s gifted character revealed before their eyes.

Light and pleasant to taste, Ouzo Giannatsis 40 Vol, with the distinctive flavour of anise, a touch of mastic, and flower, is the company’s everyday ouzo. Produced by 100% distillation Ouzo Giannatsis 42 Vol, combines measured the Lisvori anise taste with a rich palette of earthy flavors and starch reminding one of those special summer moments. Finally, Ouzo Giannatsis 45 Vol (by 100% distillation), the traditional recipe of Dimitris Giannatsis. A product of exceptional quality, perfectly balanced in flavor, sweet without sugar or other sweeteners, naturally flavoured with fragrant herbs – blessed by the land of Lesvos.

As we were talking with Manolis Syrellis, the distillery’s joint owner, two things became clear to us: the concern and resolution of the company’s team to make sure that, once on the shelf or in the display case, company products will stand out for their originality and tasteful design. The new handmade Retro wrapping package has been made to differentiate, with originality and elegance, the presence of Ouzo Giannatsis from others on the shelf. Dimitrios D. Giannatsis Distillery is one the four distilleries in Plomari. Officially founded in 1932, making the long journey through time, and still here remains the love for the smell of ouzo, the passion for the art of distillation, and respect for the past. “The original idea of retro packaging – designed by New Pixels – came from the memories of migration after both World War Two and the civil war of the early Fifties. One of the only consolations of those years was the postman and every letter was a celebration”, Manolis Syrellis informed us.

But an even greater celebration was the wicker basket – that’s how the bales from the villages were then – when they finally reached their destination. The same evening, friends gathered together and began celebrating. Then they felt as though Greece was there with them, present with flavors and tastes of childhood, hidden in a cloth bag with “chachles”, “trachana” or “ladotyri”, in the oil and olives of Mytilini, together in a box of salted sardines, or in a bottle of Plomari ouzo, diligently wrapped in old newspapers and tied tightly with string made of “tziva” or “canavi”. These newspapers were useful, not only to keep the bottle from breaking, but also for carrying news of the country from which it had come. You see, news of your country in a foreign land never gets old. Finally, when the bottle was opened and the Lisvori anise gave off its sweet smell, the migrants could smell their Greece, their Lesvos. “Today, Lesvos ouzo is proudly travelling all around the world. We have chosen to decorate and pack our bottles with old newspaper and string to honor the heroes of our recent past”, Manolis Syrellis added.

Still, the creativity of distillery’s team does not limit itself to the production and packaging of top-quality ouzo labels. One such example of the Giannatsis Distillery’s creativity on other fronts is Castanelli Liqueur. In an almost superb packaging, Castanelli is an ouzo-based liqueur in a harmonious combination of chestnuts and honey, raw materials that give uniqueness to a balanced drink. You can enjoy it plain at room temperature, served over crushed ice, or chilled straight out of the freezer.