Diane Benjamin Pro

Kanpeki Vodka from Milk Street Distillery. Kanpeki is a Japanese word that means 'perfection.' The vodka is made of polished grains of white rice, and the distillery owners wanted it to have a Japanese look. We were able to commission calligraphy from a master calligrapher, Tsuyoshi Takemori, who I was put in touch with by Ms. Kamimura of the Japan Society in New York City. I drew a cherry blossom branch and refined it in the computer.

Here is the calligraphy by Mr. Takemori.

First, I drew a rough sketch of the cherry blossom branch.

And then I refined the sketch. It is meant to resemble a woodcut.

Here are the bottles after being filled at the distillery.

The following bottles are first rounds. The pink was too intense for the distillers. We chose a plum color instead.

Another first round concept bottle.

A third first round concept bottle.