LIND & LIME
TO SAVE THE FUTURE OF LEITH'S SPIRIT INDUSTRY, WE TRAVELLED BACK TO ITS PAST
Port of Leith Distillery had a dream — creating Scotland’s first vertical whisky distillery. The only issue, a price tag of £12million, a need for investment and ongoing running costs.
So, what did they do? They bet every last penny on Contagious.
BRAND IS EVERYTHING, BUT THE FAME AND MONEY WON'T HURT
Our client wanted to create a huge splash. The brief — make their new gin famous. Make the trade talk about it, retailers desperate to list it and consumers eager to try it. And most importantly, get the money rolling in to make their whisky distillery dream a reality.
Now here’s the thing. In 2000 there were only two Scottish gin producers. By October 2018 (when they needed to launch) there were 90 — more if you include contract distilled brands.* What had we let ourselves in for?
The company’s urban location kicked off our brand story journey. Where others went for nature and botanicals; we went for industrial roots. Where others hung their hat on a label; we hung ours on the bottle shape and colour — and its name.
The bottle’s unique curves were inspired by the industrial glass kilns that were once an unmistakable feature of Edinburgh’s skyline. And its colour and name (and the gin’s citrus notes), are a doff of the hat to local hero, Dr. James Lind — the 18th Century Royal Navy surgeon who saved thousands of lives with his cure for scurvy.
THE CLIENT WANTED A CONSCIENCE AS CLEAR AS ITS GIN.
So we chose to make the bottle from 100% recycled glass and wrapped in tissue — all plastic-free and recyclable. We worked with the bottle manufacturer to develop Lind & Lime’s unique blue/green citrus shimmer. And every element of the bottle supports the brand story of place, originality and sustainability.
We’re proud to say, this is the world’s first fully recyclable gin bottle. It’s also very much up-cyclable, with fans giving it a second life as a water bottle or vase at the centre of many a dinner party table.
By investing in effective design, Port of Leith Distillery is now placed firmly in the premium spirits category, with a loyal following eagerly awaiting its first whisky release.
Not only has Lind & Lime funded the whisky distillery, the gin has become so popular, that what was originally made in a small, make-shift industrial unit, now has its own, world-famous dedicated gin distillery.
GLOBAL DESIGN AWARDS:
- DBA — Silver
- Roses packaging design — Gold
- Pentawards spirits packaging — Platinum
- San Francisco spirits packaging — Double Gold
- Denver spirits packaging — Gold
- Dieline spirits packaging — Best in Show
- Marking awards — Winner, Best Design of Business Value
“Lind & Lime has won design awards in Asia, Europe, the UK and North America. This enthusiasm for the design has started new conversations and opened up more new audiences keen to try our gin. The attention and awards attracted by the bottle and brand design shine a light on the product that we could never have imagined, helping to gain us entry to 11 new markets, including the hard to crack, us.”
— Ian Stirling, Founder, Port of Leith Distillery
