European Oak Launches with Designs by Nude Brand Creation

A collector’s whisky

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

It is skilfully crafted by Ballantine’s Master Blender Sandy Hyslop and stays true to the award-winning taste profile of Ballantine’s 21 Year Old. Selected whiskies are matured in quality sherry casks of European oak, which deliver a unique flavour due to their effect on the ageing process.

 

Brand guardians

The packaging for the new Signature Oak Edition was designed to stand out in an increasingly busy Global Travel Retail environment, whilst retaining the brand’s iconic style and premium values.

 

Nude, the branding and design consultancy for Ballantine’s focused on the characteristics of the expression to develop a design that reflected the warm, rich colours of European oak. 

 

Colours played an important role to bring to life a real wood feel to apply to the packaging and label, which features tasting notes from Ballantine’s Master Blender. For a premium finish, Nude created copper bands using a combination of hot foil and debossing techniques to suggest an authentic barrel impression.

 

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. 

 

“It is a privilege to work alongside Ballantine’s as their brand guardian for the ultra-premium range in what has been a long and lasting partnership.”