BLANTON’S
How do you take an already luxurious brand to the next level for a world-class event?
Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon is one of the finest spirits distilled. La Maison du Whisky (LMDW) in Paris is one of the most prestigious retailers of spirits in the world. Every year, LMDW hosts an exclusive event, Whisky Live, where they showcase a hand-selected, four-barrel special edition of Blanton’s. No way around it—the packaging for this release has to be award-winning.
Client
Blanton’s
Category
Alcoholic Beverages
Services
Design Strategy
Package Design
Realization & Commercialization
Awards
Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon, La Maison du Whisky Special Edition 2018 - GD USA | 2018 American Graphic Design Award
Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon, La Maison du Whisky Special Edition 2019 - GD USA | 2019 American Graphic Design Award
Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon, La Maison du Whisky Special Edition 2019 - World Brand Design Society | 2019 World Brand Design Awards Silver
Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon, La Maison du Whisky Special Edition 2019 - GD USA | 2020 American Package Design Award
Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon, La Maison du Whisky Special Edition 2020 - GD USA | 2020 American Graphic Design Award
Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon, La Maison du Whisky Special Edition 2021 - American Advertising Awards (ADDY) | 2021 Cincinnati Chapter Gold | 2021 District 5 Gold
Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon, La Maison du Whisky Special Edition 2021 - PAC Global Awards | 2022 Premium | Luxury Best in Class
Background
With almost 200 years of excellence, Buffalo Trace Distillery began bottling Blanton’s in the 1980s as the first single-barrel bourbon. Today, it is one of the best bourbons in the world, and Paris’ La Maison du Whisky (LMDW) has noticed. Each year this prestigious spirit retailer selects a few barrels of Blanton’s for a special bottling sold exclusively in its Paris and Singapore stores and holds an annual event to celebrate its arrival. Blanton’s commissions a special package for the year and collaborates with COHO to build the brand and tell the Blanton’s story one chapter at a time.
2018: The Colonel
Albert B. Blanton (Colonel Blanton) led Buffalo Trace from 1912 to 1953 through tough times and remarkable growth. The brand is named for him, and only their finest spirits become Blanton’s. The 2018 LMDW package was designed to honor his legacy. It tells the Colonel’s story, starting with his photo in the seal. Gold foil art nouveau decoration connects to his leadership tenure and to France. A sunrise motif suggests morning over Kentucky farmland, and because this package is the first in Blanton’s LMDW series, it also suggests the beginning of a story.
2019: Down the Stretch
Kentucky is as famous for horse racing as bourbon. The Colonel was a big fan, raising horses of his own. We designed the 2019 package to honor Kentucky’s rich horse racing heritage. Classic line drawings of horse and jockey lay the foundation, while little details reward a closer look—a jockey helmet in the masthead, a barrel with an “S” for the single barrel excellence. This year we also begin to use an “H” border graphic, hinting at Warehouse H...but that’s next year’s chapter.
2020: Warehouse H
At the heart of the Blanton’s legend is the storied Warehouse H. Built in 1934, it houses over 15,000 maturing barrels and takes advantage of Kentucky’s extreme seasonality. Only barrels at the center of Warehouse H become Blanton’s. The 2020 package honors Warehouse H with a photographic stamp and a typographic seal. A pattern of foil embossed overlaid circles suggests barrels aging in their ricks.
2021: Our Hometown
Frankfort, Kentucky isn’t Paris, but it’s the proud home of Blanton’s. The 2021 edition brings the brand story home with cartography. Like the town’s character, we chose craft paper for its honest and unpretentious character. But it’s elevated to luxury with a gold foil debossed map of Frankfort that highlights Warehouse H. The cartography theme continues with maps of Paris, Singapore, and France on the box seals, which are styled after revenue stamps applied to spirits during prohibition.
