Drinks giant Diageo has announced the trial of a 90 per cent paper-based 70cl bottle for Johnnie Walker Black Label. The bottle will be exclusive to Johnnie Walker Princes Street’s 1820 bar in Edinburgh.

The trial will test how the bottle performs in a bar environment, and how bartenders interact with it. 250 of the paper-based bottles will be supplied to the bar for the duration of the trial, expected to last until mid-October.

Earlier this year, Diageo released a paper-based miniature bottle for Baileys, released exclusively for Time Out Festival in Barcelona. The results from the mini bottle have influenced the design of the 70cl Black Label bottle.

Jennifer English, Johnnie Walker global brand director, said: “We are constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation to not only deliver the premium quality and iconic design our customers expect from us, but to do so in a way that reflects our sustainability ambitions.”

“The paper-based bottle trial for Johnnie Walker Black Label marks a significant step forward in our journey. This test allows us to explore new packaging in the high intensity environment of the on-trade. We are pioneering new packaging solutions and shaping the future of the industry.”

Diageo worked with PA Consulting, as part of the Bottle Collective with PA and PulPac, to design and create the bottle. The bottle is made from Dry Molded Fiber paper with a thin plastic liner designed to be removed at recycling facilities. The bottle currently has a non-recyclable stopper made from cork and similar paper to the bottle, although it will be used for the trial only and Diageo says alternative closure solutions are “in development”.

Johnnie Walker has been the canvas for further packaging experiments by Diageo recently. Earlier in September, the brand revealed what it claims is the world’s lightest glass whisky bottle.