Bruichladdich produce, distil and bottle their whiskies on the iconic, unforgiving Hebridean island of Islay, a progressive distiller with a rebellious streak and a deep respect for terroir. We were tasked with a global travel retail activation that engages travellers deeply, educates them on the provenance of the whiskies, and recruits them as Bruichladdich drinkers, delivered across Gatwick, Heathrow and Glasgow.
“We are insatiably curious and never stop asking questions. We take a strategic approach.”
The team spent three days on Islay for a deep discovery into the brand: the organic farming, the six-metre stills, the peated and unpeated expressions, and the fifty islanders who distil, mature and bottle every drop on the island. We came away with the brand’s real character, rebellious, honest and endlessly curious.
Show the traveller the journey of the dram. We were enchanted by the distillery windows and saw them as a portal, a way to transport the Sixth Continent traveller out of the terminal and onto the Islay landscape, then educate them through sight, sound and smell.
Single-malt drinkers and Islay devotees who know the brand. The iconic image is instantly recognisable; the activation rewards their expertise and deepens loyalty.
Interested and engaged, but new to Bruichladdich. Intrigued by a brand that looks so different, they want to learn what makes it distinct, communicated without a full tasting.
Buying for someone else, often with low whisky knowledge. Beautiful packaging, a rich narrative and an element of personalisation make the perfect gift.
We developed three creative concepts, each a different way to bring Islay into the terminal. All three made a feature of the bold contemporary bottles, the brand photography and Bruichladdich’s iconic blue, and used technology to educate travellers where a full tasting isn’t always possible.
History meets modern technology
Whisky is clouded by the idea that it must be enjoyed a certain way, but Bruichladdich is here to break the rules. Experience Islay tubes immerse shoppers through sight, sound and smell; a Digital Bartender teaches scotch mixology; mixology pillars pair the whisky with the perfect drink; and an interactive testing table turns tasting into play.
Historic and modern materials
A sophisticated approach that combines historic and modern materials to create a space that speaks volumes of the brand. An interactive digital wall guides customers through building their own cocktail, while a tasting bar and an Octomore ingredients display anchor self-guided exploration.
Go Big. Go Bold. Go Bruichladdich.
A monolithic design that cuts to the heart of the brand. An inside/outside juxtaposition splits the space in two: The Island immerses the customer in Islay’s heritage, while The Distillery focuses on tasting and experiencing the scotch, designed to feel like the interior of the distillery itself.
“If you want to make your consumer feel something, you have to know how to translate a brand into a physical space.”
The chosen direction was refined into a flexible kit that scaled from an eight-metre-square footprint down to four, plus compact display units, so a single identity could adapt to the very different spaces each airport could offer.
Materials and finishes were taken directly from the distillery tour, the blue-painted woods and the rough white-painted exteriors, bringing that feeling of terroir to the terminal. A family of furniture followed, tuned to each site: a Circle Bar for Heathrow T3, a Spirit Pod for Gatwick South, and a Tasting Unit for Glasgow, carried through to design development and production artwork for the Laddie, Port Charlotte and Octomore ranges.
Islay, delivered to Gatwick, Heathrow and Glasgow.