Has the dark art of spirits branding been grossly overhyped?

Not that there isn’t room for a little mystery, whimsy, or oblique alchemy—the category has always been visually eclectic and exotic, and just one step into a halfway decent watering hole will give you plenty of visual proof.

Confluence Distilling, however, from Best Studio, proudly wears the distillery and bar’s craft roots on its sleeve—er, bottle. Combine a squat, stocky vessel, a corked topper, and a script-ish logo that plays on the company’s name ( with a label cut to mirror the curvatures in the letter forms), and you’ve got a sneakily elegant spirits brand calling out to you from the bar.