Proudly made of Yorkshire

North Yorkshire farmer and brewer, Tom Mellor had already set-up the highly successful Wold Top brewery. Looking to diversify the business further, along with his best friend and business partner David Thompson, they set about creating Yorkshire’s first single malt whisky. The Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery was born.

Our task was to create their new flagship single malt brand, Filey Bay, defining the brand strategy, identity and packaging. We wanted to draw out the whisky’s unique provenance and process: A whisky made from field to bottle on the North Yorkshire coast, with home-grown barley and spring water from their farm on the Wolds; distilled and matured near Filey Bay using England’s only combined pot and column still. Respectful of tradition, but done the Yorkshire way.

In the same way the whisky is made with a Yorkshire ‘twist’, so too is the brand identity and packaging. Our aim was to create a true world whisky, with a bespoke bottle design that is unique, distinctive, grounded and has a subtle nod to traditional whisky category conventions. We created a contemporary design, playing on the textures found on the wet sands of Filey Bay, the ever-changing sea and the freshly ploughed fields of the distillery’s farm. The colour palette was inspired by big Yorkshire skies, the muted tones of the Wolds and North Sea coast, and the splice of copper where Filey Brigg stretches out into the sea.

From the concept to the design detailing, every element of the Filey Bay brand identity has been carefully considered to reflect a true sense of place and the people that make it.