Copper and Brave have returned safely from their longest journey through time. As before, they were able to bring along a new »story-spirit«: the mysterious Raven Hills.

Brand Story: Charles Layton, a young and ambitious pharmacist, is ordered to the remote Raven Hills, a sanatorium for the criminally insane, to examine wheter his research on infused alcoholicae could be a benefit for the inmates.

During the first visit with the strange director of the institution, Dr. Hermine Schlegel, all patients are introduced to him. All except »Patient 23«: Highly aggressive and untreatable, she is permanently kept in the »darkroom« for the protection of all.

Driven by zeal, Layton, in contravention of regulations, seeks out the mysterious woman one night to rejoin her fragmented mind. After administering his relaxing gin tonic, she whispers something that deeply disturbs the pharmacist: »Help me … I am Dr. Hermine Schlegel!«

Packaging: The uncanny jar conveys to the connoisseur that he is holding in his hands an authentic medicine from a madhouse at the turn of the century. As with every »story-spirit« from Copper and Brave, nothing is left to chance at Raven Hills: Every detail of the bottle is a small contribution to go deeper into the captivating story.

The apothecary bottle, made of brown quartz glass, has a typical cylindrical shape with a round shoulder. The surface is given a subtly rough structure by lightly grinding it down – giving the impression that the bottle has been has been used countless times in the preparation of experimental botanical elixirs waiting on the shelf of the sanatorium for a long time to be used.

A solid glass stopper with a rubberized coating ensures that the liquid »medicine« in it remains leak-proof, and a shrink capsule additionally holds the stopper in position. A yellowed seal with the inscription »Raven Hills Apothecary« is applied to this closure. This is initially covered by an artificially aged piece of gauze fabric, on which the seal of the asylum is also visible – this time as a stamp print. Finally, the piece of fabric is attached to the bottle neck with natural-colored rubber bands.

On the bottle itself there are two large, likewise weathered pieces of paper. The edges here have been trimmed irregularly to achieve a natural wear effect.

The front is designed like an official form of the sanatorium. At the top, the actual building of the sanatorium can be seen as a small steel engraving with the date of foundation. Below it, notes of the protagonist Charles Layton are applied in the typical doctor’s handwriting. The writing is framed by a historically documented double line. Fox stains, greasy abrasion and a yellowed color theme complement the picture harmoniously.

Eight different labels were designed – each with slight variations in the placement of the handwriting of the pharmacist Layton, the stamped designation “Gin” and the degree of wear and tear on the paper.

The back is made of the same paper as the front label and is also based on medicine bottles of the early 20th century. Especially the botanicals that are important for every gin are described here.

The crowning glory is a small, heavily rusted key, which is hung around the bottle with an equally eroded ball chain. It is said that this key fits into the lock of a special medicine cabinet where the unpredictable Raven Hills is kept away from unauthorized personnel.