Midleton Very Rare is a premium Irish whiskey, produced by Irish Distillers at the New Midleton Distillery, in the East Cork town of Midleton, from which it gets its name. Each year only 2,500 cases of Very Rare are produced.
Creative Platform
To celebrate the 30th year of Midleton Very Rare, an ultra rare edition was produced; just 117 bottles made from a blend of two 30 year old casks.
As the first prestige Irish Whiskey offering, develop a creative platform, strategy & packaging for 'The Pearl Edition'.
While the brand was repositioning toward the prestige market, it was important that authentic Irish warmth and openness were not lost. To that end I identified the notion of generosity as being a novel attribute within the world of prestige whiskey.
To reflect this each bottle was accompanied by a separate measure of whiskey. This 'sharing' measure encouraged consumers to be generous (while keeping their own bottle sealed). It also had the benefit of introducing a wider luxury audience to Midleton Very Rare.
The creative platform of 'Discover a Rare Blend of Genius' expressed the origins of the product while acknowledging the relative obscurity of the brand in the luxury market. The blend of genius concept was then realised through the packaging and bottle design.
Every element of the packaging was handcrafted by a specialist. Each of the 117 bottles were handblown in Kilkenny, each subtly unique and special. The boxes were then handcrafted and shaped to their sister bottles from Oak that had been locally selected from Shane’s Castle in Co. Antrim.
Through this process the packaging and presentation of the whiskey was in itself, a blend of genius, skill and expertise.
