Bartops: A beginner’s guide

Bartops: A beginner’s guide

“Cork: Nature’s holy grail”

Also known as t-stoppers, t-top closures or cork stoppers, they are the ultimate premium closure for the spirits industry.

Why are Bartops so popular?

A superb, premium bottle finish, bartops are the closure of choice for both artisanal and mainstream spirit brands. Bartops can be hand or machine applied and pair perfectly with our heat-shrink open top capsules or our plastic-free shrink sleeves to protect your product and enhance your brand.

Bartops have grown in popularity over the the last few years thanks to their eco-credentials, aesthetic features and their ability to enhance that all important opening experience for your consumer.

With more and more brands switching to T-top closures we’ve put together a beginners guide on all things Bartop – read on to find out more…

Portugal – the home of cork

We only supply natural and sustainably sourced cork from Portuguese cork forests (Montados in Portuguese). Incredibly 34% of the world’s cork forests are situated in Portugal – a country that spans just 35 square miles! Portugal is also responsible for 60% of total cork production in the world.

The Montados are a rich eco-system spanning over 730,000 hectares and are one of 36 biodiversity hotspots worldwide alongside places like the Amazon rainforest. The forests are home to over 160 species of birds and 37 species of mammals, including the most threatened feline in the world: the Iberian Lynx.

Not only vital to their inhabitants,they are also a lifeline for our planet with approximately 14 million tons of CO2 being absorbed each year, it’s critical the Muntados are protected and sustained.

Creating corks – from soil to stopper

The process of transforming cork oak into the small natural closures we all know so well is lengthy and complex, but well worth the wait!

Step 1- Harvesting the bark

Cork oak trees can have their bark harvested between 15-18 times in their lifespan with a regeneration period of 9-12 years between each harvest.
Removing the bark is an intricate manual process carried out by personnel with decades of experience often passed down through their family. The bark is carefully stripped from the tree trunk by hand leaving the tree unharmed and cork sheets stacked ready for processing.

Step 2 – Processing

The cork bark goes through multiple cleansing and purification processes to ensure there is no harmful TCA present. TCA is a natural fungus that can be present in cork bark and is responsible for when a wine or spirit is “corked”.

To ensure the cork is TCA free there are also approximately 15 different quality check points that involve both manual intervention as well as high tech AI machinery.

Our manufacturing partner in Portugal runs their factory efficiently and uses any waste from processing to fuel their ovens and boilers – a full circle system!

Step 3- Cork shank formation

Traditional corks can be used on their own to seal bottles and are most commonly used in the wine industry. Bartops are more common in the spirit industry and take the stopper now referred to as a “shank” and pair it with a second piece referred to as the “head” from the side view the two parts form a T shape hence the T-top or t-stopper names.

Our cork shanks come in many different grades of cork from micro-agglomerated cork right through to the ultra-premium Flower grade. Grading is based on mostly aesthetic factors such as blemishes / pockmarks in the surface. The fewer imperfections the higher the grade. Some grades are also only suitable for shorter shelf life products of less than 3 years – our team can help you in selecting the right cork grade for your product.

Once the bark is processed it is cut into various sizes using specialist equipment, any waste from cutting is mixed with a small amount of glue and pressed to form micro-agglomerated corks – zero waste!

Below is table showing the main cork grades we offer:

CORK GRADES

Step 4 – Customisation

Bartop heads can be made from a range of materials such wood, metal, glass and plastic with wood being by far the most popular choice.

Wood heads are a natural material and highly customisable allowing your brand to stand out on the shelf, they are also usually the most cost effective solution for producers looking to avoid plastic and distinguish their brands.

Depending on the head material you select you then have a number of design options such as:

• Bespoke colour head tops
• Top & Side pad printing
• Laser Etching
• Hot Stamping
• Embossing / Debossing

For Wood tops only:

• Varnishing
• Painting
• Side Grooves

Step 5- Assembly & Packing

Once the cork shank is selected it is then secured to the head using a small amount of glue and has it’s final set of quality checks before being packed up ready to head to your door.

Ready to switch to Bartops? Or looking to change supplier?

Well done on a great packaging choice, our team are here to help you every step of the way.

To ensure you get the best finish we always start with your bottle, we will request a bottle drawing to check against our extensive database or physical sample to measure if a drawing is not available.

We will discuss the product you want to use Bartops on and advise you on the most suitable cork grades so you can make an informed choice as well as exploring the overall design you are looking for to compliment your brand.

If you are already using Bartops and would like a competitive like for like quote the process is even simpler just provide us with the details of your current closure and we will do the rest.

Why Viscose?

Viscose has been a trusted supply partner to the drinks industry for more than 60 years working with a wide range of customers from craft distilleries such as Isle of Wight (Mermaid Gin) to mainstream brands and contract bottlers (Hayman, Encirc). We aren’t the biggest which means we can be agile, innovative and our service is second to none – check out our customer reviews here.

We look forward to talking to you about your next project!

Glossary:

HEAD: The top section of the bartop that is visible above the glass neck and used to remove it from the bottle

SHANK: The bottom section of the bartop that sits within the bottle neck forming a tight seal to secure the contents within.

CORK GRADE: A grading system used to differentiate corks depending on their aesthetics and preservation time in bottle.

PAINTING: Used for wood heads only to provide different colours from light beech style colours through to dark mahogany or even add a pop of colour such as blue or orange!

VARNISHING: Application of a varnish to the wood head to seal the grain making the surface have a smoother shiny finish. This can be applied to natural wood heads or painted heads.

PAD PRINTING: The process of applying ink as per your chosen artwork to the top and or sides of the wood head

LASER ETCHING: This is where your artwork is etched into the wood itself leaving an indentation making it a more tactile printing method. Perfect for intricate designs.

EMBOSS/DEBOSS: Em¬bossing is when the artwork is raised above the wood head surface level. De-bossing is the opposite where it is carved into the wood head.

GROOVES: Lines carved into the side of the wood head like those found on plastic caps to allow for a better grip on opening.

CORK MOUTH FINISH: The neck finish of a glass bottle to deter¬mine cap suitability – cork mouth is designed for corks/bartops vs screwtop which is designed for ROPP.