Connected bottles of whiskey. You know, there’s a list of thing you don’t think you’ll ever have to say. Connected bottles of whiskey is such a mad combination of words, that doesn’t even make that list. Sure enough, Jameson have only gone and done the unthinkable.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in style
Every year, Jameson commisions an artist to design a limited edition label for their whiskey to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. This year, they turned to Steve McCarthy to do the honors. McCarthy’s beautiful ommage to Dublin more than just suits the classic whiskey’s look. Still, as beautiful as it is, it’s not why we’re here.
Connected bottles of whiskey
Okay, so straight away you’re probably thinking it’s a bottle that speeds up Spotify playlists as the night goes on. That’s not it, but I’m making a mental note of how great an idea that is. Jameson’s limited edition connected bottle has an NFC tag underneath the Jameson logo. NFC (near field communications) tags interact with smartphones, namely Android phones as iPhone doesn’t support NFC. Still, opting for NFC is a very logical move. Alternatives, such as QR codes, needs third party apps which very few people have.
Benefits of the smart bottle
On the surface, Jameson’s efforts may look quite simple. And to be honest, they are. But, if you walk to to most people in the street and ask if their phone has NFC they’ll have no idea what you’re on about. Jameson’s smart bottle is a fun way of introducing people to a longstanding, but little known, piece of tech in NFC. This year could be a big year for NFC with AIB and KBC bringing Android Pay to market.
Still, simple as it may be, the NFC tag on these limited edition connected whiskey bottles could bag you a nice prize. Whiskey drinkers could instantly win a pair of tickets to the Jameson Distillery or be entered into a draw for the Ultimate Jameson Experience in Dublin on St. Patrick’s Day.
Hopefully there are more companies who try out things like this in the future. Introducing alcohol is the one sure-fire way to get people using more features on their smartphones. We will also be just as happy to sample other products utilising new tech like this!