Most customers never notice that the cream paper we use carries a watermark. The watermark is the producer's mark, a small foil-V repeating across the paper, visible only when the label is held to backlight. The watermark is not in the print run; the watermark is in the paper itself. The paper carries the mark before the printer touches it.
Why we watermark
The watermark is a small mark of provenance. Counterfeit labels can be printed; counterfeit watermarked paper requires a paper mill conspiracy. The watermark verifies that the label is genuine, that the paper is from our specified mill, and that the bottle was produced through our authorized program.
Custom watermarks
Customers commissioning long-term programs (multi-decade family programs, country-club programs running over five years) can specify a custom watermark in the paper itself. The customer's family monogram or club crest can be pressed into the paper at the mill, with a minimum order of approximately ten thousand sheets (which covers several years of forty-eight-bottle orders). The watermark adds approximately fifteen percent to the per-bottle cost and is essentially uncopyable.
Recognition
Almost no one notices the watermark in casual viewing. The customer who is shown the watermark for the first time, by holding the bottle to a window, has a small moment of recognition. The label has been carrying the mark all along; the customer has been touching it without noticing. This small discovery is part of what makes the bottle read as heirloom in the customer's hand.