Squad Studio has created a design for Archie Rose Distilling Co's limited-release product, the Heritage Red Gum Single Malt Whisky.
The whisky is a tribute to master distiller Dave Withers and the winemaking legacy of his father and grandfather. Created by maturing Archie Rose Single Malt Whisky in native red gum timber casks used to mature fortified wine since the 1930s. “I have a clear memory of my dad passing on stories he heard about fortified wine barrels being made from native eucalyptus timbers,” explained Withers.
Squad was tasked to design a limited release bottle design that “reflects a truly Australian heritage story through these rare 1930s native timber casks”.
Because of the personal nature of this release, the design team at Squad said they decided to tell the product story in the first person on the label. A fingerprint symbol that mimics the ringed timber cross-section imprints this significance on the label. The labels, which used bright white felt for the main, base and neck labels, and MaxFlex for the neck collar, were printed by Labelhouse VIC.
Terry Squadrito, director of Squad Studio, told PKN the tone had to hit the right balance of grass roots Australian yet with a “premium modern edge”.
To this end, a pink-hued red gum illustration and a Milford Astor 241 copper foil that paired with the deep caramel liquid were used.
“We were really specific about the copper foil target – Milford Astor 241 Copper. The shade perfected complemented the pink hues from the artwork,” he added.
“We created a fingerprint symbol that mimics the rings of the cross section of timber to reflect the personal significance these casks have to Dave, the head distiller.”
