Thirst Craft – Cù Bòcan

Cù Bòcan’s rebrand unlocks the world of whisky by telling a credible product story in a contemporary, covetable way.

Having been in the market since 2013, Cù Bòcan found itself in need of a complete repositioning. With a previous design that focussed on a ghost-dog myth rather than the product’s merit, this Highland Single Malt needed a new brand that would appeal to a more modern, millennial whisky drinker.

Many whiskies covet this audience, but often sacrifice the prestige of the category in favour of style over substance. On the other end of the scale traditional whiskies have authenticity in abundance, but often look too aloof and austere.

So, to attract a younger audience to Cù Bòcan, we merged the best of both these worlds. By telling an authentic product story in a contemporary and unusual way, we crafted a design that maintains the sophistication of whisky, but loses its stuffiness.

Subtly smoky and surprisingly sweet, Cù Bòcan is made with lightly peated Scottish barley and matured in a variety of interesting casks to unlock its unusual flavours. This is what inspired our bespoke bottle which became the centrepiece of the design.

Our unique multi-layered bottle twists and turns to embody the different forces that come together to create Cù Bòcan: subtle smokiness and surprising sweetness; meticulous preparation and unpredictable nature; lightly peated barley and unusual cask maturations.

The organic, curved label captures Cù Bòcan’s signature wisp of smoke, while the paper’s speckled texture is created by photographing peat granules. A contemporary, earthy colour palette with a touch of gold gives a premium feel, while the bottle’s layers transcend seamlessly off-pack to create a rich, tactile brand world.

All in all it’s a design that unlocks the world of whisky to a new audience by making it more accessible, covetable and contemporary.