CLIENT

Campari America is one of the world’s leading spirits producers with a portfolio of more than 20 of the world’s best known brands, including Skyy Vodka, Wild Turkey Bourbon, and Espolón Tequila. The Whiskey Barons Collection was created using liquid from Wild Turkey distillery, although the brands themselves are not related.

CHALLENGE

Following the successful launch of its Whiskey Barons Collection, Campari America re-engaged Moxie Sozo bring a third to life: W.B. Saffell.

The brand would need to stand apart on-shelf while at the same time following the design language established through the Whiskey Barons Collection’s first two releases: Bond & Lillard and Old Ripy. Like those releases before it, W.B. Saffell would need to tell the story of William Butler Saffell simply and effectively, capturing the attention of casual shoppers and whiskey lovers alike. Unlike the prior two releases from the Whiskey Barons Collection, the liquid inside each bottle of W.B. Saffell would be blended with help from master distiller and industry legend Eddie Russell. The packaging had to do the liquid’s lineage justice.

SOLUTION

W.B. Saffell built on the reputation of Campari America’s highly successful Whiskey Barons Collection.

W.B. Saffell was packaged in 375ml bottles, an ode to the early days of bourbon when the industry’s lack of regulation allowed for a wide variety of unconventional bottles sizes. The packaging transports consumers to W.B. Saffell’s Anderson County home and distillery, where his bourbon was made more than 100 years ago. It features vignettes depicting stories uncovered through historical research, including a robbery-turned-gunfight at the W.B. Saffell distillery warehouses nearly two years after prohibition began. At its center is the W.B. Saffell house, which still stands today—and proceeds went toward helping to restore its former glory. Its meticulous, hand-crafted aesthetic retold the brand’s authentic heritage—and relayed the liquid’s premium nature to boot.