Creating a true
visual impression of
Africa at its finest
Distell

Collaboration with
Distell and Just Design
since 2004

Bain’s Whisky is made at the James Sedgwick Distillery, the first, and only, commercial whisky distillery in Africa. Launched in 2009, it is a quintessentially South African brand, made with 100% South African maize. No stranger to awards, this brand has picked up over 30 gold awards and higher since launch including twice being named as the World’s Best Grain Whisky at the 2013 and 2018 World Whiskies Awards. Founder Distiller Andy Watts and the distillery itself are also globally renowned currently holding the titles of World Whisky Brand Ambassador of the Year and Sustainable Distillery of the Year and at the 2020 Icons of Whisky Awards, held by Whisky Magazine in London.

Although quality and awards place it at the forefront of innovation, the brand is still ‘small’ when compared to other ‘Goliath’ whisky brands available in South Africa – a situation the team at Bain’s wanted to challenge head-on with labels that effectively communicated the brand’s premium equity and gravitas.

In 2017, Bain’s packaging was optimised to reflect a brand of substance. Packaging experts Just Design designed a restructured wrap-around label that gave prominence to the brand’s unique aspects, which now showcased the endemic mountain leopard as a single headshot. While a single label, it includes two distinct parts: Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky is highlighted against a black background, with further whisky cues provided on the white surface underneath. Initially the hope was for these two parts to also be printed on two different paper types: an uncoated paper with a tactile feel for the white part, and a different material with a leather-like feel for the top, black surface – a goal which would both be difficult to achieve, and costly.

“We were considering all our touch-points,” said Dino D’Araujo, Distell’s Spirits Category Manager,“and modernisation and premiumisation developed as key elements we wanted to deliver on.” He adds: “We looked at what we needed to keep, what was important to the consumer and what was important to the brand and started there. The biggest challenge we had was with the leopard head and how we could modernise him to create an ownable asset for the brand.”

Important was to highlight the brand’s single grain whisky qualities (it being the only single grain commercially available in SA), as a key differentiator versus other whiskies available on the market. The challenge was put to Vollherbst: “We needed to distinguish this label and our pack from the rest of the whisky packs on shelf in a big way to showcase that premium South African whisky can stand proud next to brands with hundreds of years of history. We also wanted to enhance the unique elements of the design highlighting key selling points to attract new consumers.”

Of course, the greatest feedback is the response from consumers, and this has been nothing but positive. Said Dino: “Our sales force tells us that the new packs are visually competing with the biggest premium whiskies in South Africa. At a glance the label also offers storytelling and intrigue, highlighting key selling points no other whisky brand can speak too. Lastly, the packs elicits a feeling of “if it looks this good, imagine what it tastes like” - we often do traditional whisky tastings and consumers drink with their eyes so this good looking pack is very inviting.”