Green River Distilling Co.

CLIENT

History’s best loved bourbon, reborn.

Green River Distilling Co. was founded in Owensboro, KY, 1885 by John W. McCulloch. It quickly became one of the best known bourbons in the world, winning international awards including at the Paris Exposition in 1900 and the Liege Exposition in Belgium. More than 100 years later, after a fire and Prohibition nearly relegated the brand to history, the historic Green River distillery is flowing with bourbon again. It is—and always was—the Whiskey Without Regrets.

CHALLENGE

Breathe new life into the old Green River.

Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey was one of the best known brands of its time, and it has a long legacy on which to draw. With so much heritage already attached to the brand, the packaging and identity would need to leverage the past to create something new—putting a bold new face to the brand that is both current and timeless.

SOLUTION

A marriage of old and new.

The updated Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey retains some of the strongest brand elements from past packaging while creating something purposefully new. Every element was designed for impact. The Green River mark takes cues from the classic typeface, but lends an updated clean and modern look. The label nods to the brand’s past, wearing the DSP-KY-1O designation with pride. Even the custom bottle form was designed to leave a mark, with Green River’s characteristic horseshoe making up its bottom.