Ólafsson Gin is the first product from Eyland Spirits, an Icelandic company dedicated to producing outstanding Icelandic spirits.

The Rooster Factory is the creative and strategic agency helping Eyland Spirits build their portfolio and products. The overall vision is to create spirits that express the beauty and magic of Iceland and its pure and magnificent nature, and the mission is to share the wonders of this unique country with the world, one sip at a time.

Ólafsson Icelandic Gin is inspired by and named in honor of Iceland’s most loved 18th century explorer and guardian of the Icelandic culture, Eggert Ólafsson. Eggert Ólafsson is Iceland’s most celebrated 18th century adventurer, poet, naturalist and passionate guardian of his country’s native culture. Leaving no moss-covered rock unturned or strange farming ritual unexamined, Eggert spent five years exploring the length and breadth of the country’s diverse regions and its people. In 1772 he published ‘Ferdabok’ (Travels in Iceland), an account of the scientific and cultural research trip he conducted between 1752 and 1757. His fervor and dedication to Iceland inspired the birth of Ólafsson Icelandic Gin.

Every element of the gin is a fitting tribute to this much loved ‘father’ of the Icelandic nation. Ólafsson Icelandic Gin’s packaging is an invitation to discover the truly captivating story of Eggert Ólafsson. A hypnotizing portrait of Ólafsson, enclosed in a medallion, immediately draws attention to the bottle and locks the eye gaze into the bottle. The rich and detailed hand-drawn illustrations, inspired by the original 18th-century engravings, depict Eggert Ólafsson’s epic five-year expedition across Iceland: from thundering waterfalls and volcanoes to geysers, glaciers and basalt columns, Ólafsson clambered across untamed tundra and met indigenous fauna, such as Arctic foxes and the Gyr falcons, and flora, both real and imaginary. The subdued colors chosen for the labels – yellow, brown, green – are reflections of the natural shades and lights typical of Iceland’s extraordinary terrain and otherworldly landscape, while the printing on warm gold foil and a rich combination of embossing and debossing match the gin’s exceptional quality and botanicals complexity. The Icelandic expressions, both on the front and back labels, are a funny and friendly nod to Ólafsson’s motherland and Icelandic consumers, part of a very tight community (350 000 inhabitants where everyone is somehow connected). Finally, a wooden cap topped with a zamak medallion, pays tribute to the birch, the emblematic Icelandic tree.

Our work at The Rooster factory encompasses everything from brand concept and creation, brand identity, art direction to packaging design, illustration, logo creation and collaterals creation.