An impossible video for an impossible whisky

Tamdhu Single Malt Speyside Whisky was born in the industry’s late Victorian boom; the distillery opened its doors in 1897. The distillery had a reputation for impeccable craft, but record keeping was perhaps not its strong point.

The starting point

When a cask of 50-year-old Tamdhu was uncovered in the 2010s, nobody could quite believe it. The brand team was clear: the bottling – and the marketing – would need to be very special indeed.

Crafting the words

Our friends at Good Creative had already set about designing an astonishing package and bottle for this true one-off of the whisky world. We spoke in turn to each of the creators: the international glassware expert, the crystal designer, and even the silversmiths who hand-crafted an intricate collar for each and every bottle.

At the same time, the brand had commissioned a video to show the craft that goes into each of these bottles – from spirit to glass. Would we like to write the script?

Poetic licence

How to bring the care of each craftsperson to life, and at the same time speak to the history of the Tamdhu brand? The answer simply could not be a standard script. Instead, we researched 20th century poets, looking for a piece with the right tone. We came close, but not close enough for our liking – so we set about writing our own sonnet-like verses, observing the strict line lengths and syllable stresses to give the poem the weight it needed.

The result was an almost instant confirmation that all of the initial release had been sold. Quite an achievement when each bottle retails for £16,000.

Want us to find the words to market your super-premium spirit?