Featured image for Ballantine’s 21 Year Old Signature Oak Edition

Ballantine’s 21 Year Old Signature Oak Edition

by Traci Gibbs on 12/02/2015 | 1 Minute Read

I love seeing Collector’s Edition packaging for alcohol brands. It’s always top notch design work and the use of unique finishes and materials is impressive. The No. 2 Scotch whisky brand in the world, Ballantine’s, has just unveiled their Ballantine’s 21 Year Old Signature Oak Edition and it stands apart from the crowd with it's “real wood” texture and shiny gold and copper foil details. A limited edition release, exclusive to Global Travel Retail, the whisky enthusiasts of the world are going to go crazy over this one.

 

Responsible for the design work is Nude Brand Creation, a London based firm that has worked with the Ballantine's brand for years. The creative direction for Ballantine’s 21 Year Old Signature Oak Edition was developed based on design that reflected the warm, rich colours of European oak. This earthy color palette played an important role in bringing to life the “real wood” treatment that wraps around the bottle as a label.

 

Nude Creative Director, Mike Parsonson remarks: “The character of the natural wood was central to the product story so it was important to reflect this in the design and in the tasting notes. Key Ballantine’s design cues, such as the crest and band foot label, were retained to ensure consistency and a prestige appearance for consumers.

 

Complimenting the rich wood texture is a copper band wrapping around the bottom of the bottle and also used to create a name plaque towards the top of the label. These copper bands were created through the combination of a hot foil treatment and debossing techniques and the execution is gorgeous. The goal was to create a texture that suggested an authentic barrel impression, and I’d say they succeeded.

Nude Creative Director, Mike Parsonson remarks: “The character of the natural wood was central to the product story so it was important to reflect this in the design and in the tasting notes. Key Ballantine’s design cues, such as the crest and band foot label, were retained to ensure consistency and a prestige appearance for consumers.

The shape of the bottle is quite traditional and comes housed in a wooden box that features the same information as the bottle label, including the placement of the copper bands and plaque. Additionally, a small monogram “B” is embossed in copper and sits at the top of the box as a crowning brand mark. This packaging was designed to stand out in the busy Travel Retail environment and the wooden box the bottle is housed in is sure to draw attention.

The new expression is a limited edition exclusive to Global Travel Retail and is designed to be a collector’s item for whisky enthusiasts.

Nude is known for their luxury brand and packaging design, and the Ballantine’s 21 Year Old Signature Oak Edition is just that. Exuding a high quality masculine art direction, the packaging is striking and I’m sure will be a popular release within the community of whisky collectors.


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