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Kilmartin Glen Sprints launched their first Gin in early 2022. After a year of research, production & development, their first flagship product was released to the market. Their gin is enriched with hand-foraged botanicals from around the fascinating and mysterious Glen. Kilmartin Glen is one of Scotland’s richest pre-historic landscapes. It was of profound significance to its people, spanning 5000 years. At its heart is the Village of Kilmartin where the brand was born.
My Creative took influence from the beautiful & simple rock carvings left by the first people to populate and thrive in Kilmartin. Their creativity and craft can still be seen today, although the original significance of these marks remains a mystery and open to interpretation. These beginnings were a perfect starting point to tell our story. We wanted to reimagine this culture and its symbolism in a modern & refined way. To reflect the quality of the Gin and the historical area the brand would live beside.
Developing the brand & packaging with natural colours and materials like hessian, wicker, earthenware and bronze. Elements that coexisted with this cultural heritage. We juxtaposed this with a clean glass base and simple typography. The goal was to create not just a beautiful Gin but a modern object that could be reused in a functional way. Giving the bottle a second life.
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The History! and it's vast! Many tribes and religions settled in the glen over the centuries. But the biggest influence on our research work came from the beautiful and simple rock carvings left by the late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age people. We can only speculate as to the original significance of these so-called "cup and ring" marks. The markings and stone structures that have been left, are found all around Kilmartin Glen and many are believed to be about 5,000 years old. This was clearly a well-populated cultural centre of importance. With 100s of burial sites and 1000s of standing stones and carvings. Most predating Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza. These structures would have taken great skill, time and organisation to build. Their creativity and craftsmanship can still be seen today.
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The Products Second Life was a key requirement from the start, we wanted the bottle to be reused for a lifetime, not just recycled. Customers were encouraged to remove the legal labeling info and repropouse the bottle as a water jug, oil dispenser, flower vase or just a nice and useful object to have around the home.
To complaint the gin packaging, we commissioned Sea-drift Pottery in Argyll to create a limited edition range of stoneware tumbler gin cups. These are very similar in shape to the ones found in Kilmartin.
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Thank you. If you would like to know more about my:creative or are interested in collaborating in a new venture please visit us at Twitter / Instagram or Email
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Credits.
Brand, Design & illustration by Ewan Leckie at My Creative:
Credits.
Brand, Design & illustration by Ewan Leckie at My Creative:
Gin & Stoneware Tumbler cups available from Website kilmartinglenspirits.co.uk
