The Girvan Patent Still

Creative Agency: threebrand
Project Type: Produced, Commercial Work
Client: William Grant & Sons
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

Independent creative branding agency, threebrand is delighted to showcase its work for a new whisky range.

The Girvan Patent Still range breaks traditional whisky conventions by celebrating William Grant & Sons spirit of innovation and unique distillation process.

The brief was to create a brand that encapsulates the distinctive story of the range and deliver both primary and secondary packaging for three expressions (30 Year Old, 25 Year Old and No. 4 Apps),that challenges the norm of whisky bottle design.

Nick Cadbury, Creative Director at threebrand, commented: “Aimed at true whisky aficionados, the brand was designed to disrupt the whisky market.

“We chose tall and slender bottles to provide a light and elegant feel, reflecting the whisky inside.

“The 30 Year Old secondary packaging is a wooden box with a ‘picture frame’ to showcase the bottle. Metal plates on the side panels, as well as the magnet fixings, add a modern touch and act as tactile premium cues.

“Similarly, metal plates carry the brand story on the 25 Year Old secondary packaging.

“Both No. 4 Apps and 25 Year Old secondary packaging are elemental and form a dynamic frame to display the bottle.”

Kevin Abrook, Marketing Manager at William Grant & Sons, said: “Single Grain is an untapped category within Scotch. With The Girvan Patent Still we have an opportunity to change that and lead the way.

“It was important for us to have a design that was dramatically different, but also beautiful and elegant to reflect the liquid inside.”

The designs received great feedback from the drinks industry with the 30 Year Old being awarded two golds at The Harpers Global Design Awards.

Judges commented: “The design of the box and the story on the packaging really shows that they made an effort to be different.

‘[The bottle and box] looks very distinctive and so different from just the standard traditional white label.”

To support the marketing of the Girvan Patent Still brand POS materials such as tasting note cards and a dedicated microsite, to complement offline activity, were also designed.