'Smokehead' whisky

There are few opportunities more mouth-watering than the chance to set exceptional standards with a new product - that's exactly what we got when Ian Macleod Distillers brought us on board for the 2005 launch of Smokehead.

A high-quality, distinctive whisky, Smokehead's primary target is men aged 25 and over who are Islay malt fans or enjoy drinking peaty, smoky whiskies.

Bearing this in mind, we set out to create a striking, beautiful package that conveys the unique character of Smokehead, and stands out on store shelves.

Letterpress printing provided the inspiration for our solution. It allowed us to take a modern approach and, at the same time, retain a sense of age and tradition valued by whisky drinkers. We brought in links with the wooden casks used for maturing whisky, and developed a device that allowed Smokehead's key characteristics to 'shine through' - a panel of descriptive words and phrases on the back of the bottle that could be read from the front through the whisky itself.

An embossed effect on the outer packaging continued the letterpress theme.

The strong, intense flavour of Smokehead was mirrored with the use of bold black and white as the packaging colours. They were supplemented with a flash of copper, reflecting whisky stills and referencing the craftsmanship involved in creating the product.

The overall result is a unique design that's developing a strong presence in a very competitive market - so strong in fact that sales have exceeded above and beyond expectations, and there's a waiting list of potential customers!

We are proud to announce that Smokehead won the Design of the Year trophy at the Wine & Spirit Awards 2007.