Grace O’Malley Irish Whiskey is truly something special. Not only is it a premium whiskey brand in both taste and character, but it also draws its premium origins, as well as its name, from romanticism, folklore, and the incredible legend of a pirate Queen. With such a rich story, we had to be extra creative and push the boundaries of print and production into new bespoke areas to do justice to this stunning range of premium handcrafted whiskey creations.

Legend, as well as the Irish Sea, plays a huge role in the production of this whiskey, as these premium spirits are blended, finished, and bottled in casks aged in the salty sea air, thus imparting their unique flavor and character. This production process, as well as the remarkable legend of Grace O’Malley, inspired our designs. We wanted to echo the power of her life story—a warrior Queen, a fearless mariner, a powerful female figure.

She would always be the central character, and we went to extraordinary lengths to capture her striking pose, her timelessness, her strength, and confidence in an almost 3D vintage cameo-shaped label. This striking central illustration, coupled with a bespoke bottle reflects and pays homage to ancient pirate rum bottles of old.

Subtly woven into the design story are embellishments attributable to Grace O’Malley’s unique story: symbols such as Easter eggs, her ship (The White Seahorse), skulls, shamrocks, an anchor, and long flowing Celtic hair. These elements give clues to her life and legacy, explaining why she continues to be a much-loved historic personality.

This is truly a range that comes into its own when the collection has been assembled. It is only then that you can appreciate the considered brand styling, the richness of the labels and their colors, and how these designs reflect the flavors of rum cask, dark char cask, stout cask, and maritime cask. Just enough verdigris green on each label to complement the coppers is a real nod to finding an antique washed-up beach pirate bottle. All elements come together to commemorate Grace O’Malley, visually continuing the romanticism of Grace as the heroic pirate Queen and truly worthy of the O’Malley clan’s motto, ‘Powerful by land and by sea’.