Drawing on my experience working with established whisky brands, I knew that creating a new whisky brand from scratch required more than just a great product. To appeal to premium buyers, especially in international markets it was essential to weave a compelling story and a sense of provenance into the messaging. Buyers often seek to connect with the heritage and culture surrounding Scotland and it's whisky - Specifically buyers from Asia and the US want to feel like they're buying into a story and tasting a slice of history, this is often what separates success and failure for whisky brands when selling in these markets. Regardless of if their liquid is the best in the world, they first have to buy into the brand.

I developed Ossian Whisky, inspired by the legendary Scottish poet Ossian and the mythology around his poems of Fingal’s Cave on the Isle of Staffa which I initially learned about from childhood trips to Fingal's cave as it's a short boat trip from our family's holiday cottage. This connection to Scottish poetry and mythology, combined with the regions rich history of ancient whisky smugglers using caves in the region provided plenty of creative potential for any brand campaigns/future products. The label design combined textures and finishes to deliver a premium feel: copper foil text and accents contrasted with a rugged, sea-toned label, featuring a subtle silhouette of Fingal’s Cave to tie the brand to its Scottish roots. A provenance tag at the bottom, complete with a master brewer’s signature in copper foil on a wood-textured background, reinforced the sense of heritage and individual craftsmanship.