The Antiquary whisky packaging is redesigned

The Tomatin Distillery Co has given its premium blended Scotch whisky brand, The Antiquary, a fresh look to give it a new lease of life, while still retaining the history and provenance of one of the oldest Scotch whisky brands in the market.

The iconic diamond cut bottle remains, however it is in a taller, sleeker, and more sophisticated form. Pocket Rocket Creative has designed new labels and secondary packaging to highlight the unique shape of the bottle, which, aside from the high content of malt whiskies inside, is arguably one of the brand’s biggest selling points.

The Antiquary, along with its 12 year old and 21 year old expressions, is sold worldwide, with significant market success in France, Portugal, Russia, Angola, UK and the US. The new label designs were trialled in Chile in 2014 and will now be rolled out worldwide.

“The Antiquary has been around since 1888 and, particularly in the UK, is known as the blend that “my Grandfather used to drink”, explains Jennifer Masson, marketing manager. “We want to challenge that perception and give this deserving institution a new lease of life. The new packaging will attract a wider, and younger, demographic without distancing our existing customers. The Antiquary is a cut above other blends in the market; with 45% malt content all three expressions are smooth and easy drinking.”

Stephen Bremner, sales director, expects to see an upturn in sales as a result of the redesign: “Much like the Tomatin Distillery, the Antiquary brand has been a sleeping giant. With the new packaging I expect to attract new customers in new markets, particularly in South America. We’ve tweaked the recipe for our entry level expression too, to better reflect the original recipe used by the Hardie brothers in 1888, resulting in the smoothest blend in recent years.”

Del Sneddon, lead designer on the Antiquary Project said: “The distinctive bottle of The Antiquary with its unique facets has charmed many for decades. We decided to enhance its form further by creating a bespoke label that follows the geometric shape of the front face and also improves standout. More detailing and calligraphy within the label was also added to ‘premiumise’ the design and cleaner typography for the brand name was introduced to bring it up-to-date. The outer cartons proudly depict The Antiquary’s distinguishing contours for ultimate impact.”

The new packaging is being rolled out worldwide gradually over the coming months – the 12 and 21 year old expressions are only available in selected markets.

Pocket Rocket Creative, based in Stirling, -Central Scotland, was established in 2007 and operates with five staff, three of whom are directors (Gary Dawson, Gary Doherty, Del Sneddon). The agency was awarded World’s Best Design Agency at the World Whisky Awards, 2014.

11 May 2015 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor