Tomintoul product range sees design upgrade

The single malt market has witnessed a steady improvement in the packaging design of leading brands, which prompted Angus Dundee Distillers to commission Roger Lawson Design to review the look and feel of its Tomintoul range.

The aim was to achieve a consistency of design across the range and produce striking design with a contemporary look and feel while retaining certain unique elements, such as the waterfall on the individual canisters and the phrase “the gentle dram”, which decorates the new bottle as well as being printed on the bottle labels and canister wraps.

The Tomintoul range comprises: Tomintoul Peaty Tang; 10 year old; 12 years old Oloroso Sherry Wood finish; 12 year old Portwood finish; 14 year old; 16 year old; 25 years old; 1976 Vintage and very old Single Cask releases. However, the packaging for the 1976 Vintage and the mature Single Cask releases has not been changed.

To achieve the overall objective a new proprietary bottle mould was developed with Stolzle Flaconnage. The new 70cl, 75cl and 1-litre bottles, while still tall and round, feature a heavier, flared base with a more masculine shoulder, distinctive eyebrow to house the main label and an elegant neck profile. Embossed features also decorate the glass.

The typeface of the Tomintoul brand name was adjusted emphasising the first letter ‘T’ of Tomintoul on the main front bottle label.

There are two front labels, a main label and a foot label. The main front labels are arched at the top to fit neatly under the eyebrow on the bottle mould. Each Tomintoul expression is attributed with its own distinct colour and with the age numerals prominently displayed.

Every Tomintoul edition features strikingly powerful branding on the canister design. This is achieved by boldly expressing the Tomintoul name in a vertical format. A new image of the waterfall decorates the top part of the design on all the canisters and coloured bands corresponding to the label colours of the individual editions round off the design at the foot of the canisters.

Sealing the cork stoppers are improved branded aluminium tin capsules in matching colours to finish off the new packaging design.

Even the outer cases have received a face-lift with complimentary colours consistent with the label and canister wrap designs, which were developed in conjunction with John Watson & Co.

From time to time younger single cask releases will be issued with appropriate new labelling on the new bottle shape. Design for this is in development.

10 November 2014 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor