Silver Packaging Design · 2024
The Maple 7 Canadian Rye Whisky
by Tiago Russo and Katia Martins
- A' Design Award 2024 Silver Winner in Packaging Design
- Awarded April 15, 2024
- CLIENT: The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 31,230
- Verification code 0B5AD5E22F · Verify this award
About The Maple 7 Canadian Rye Whisky
The Maple 7 is a bottle and box design created for a Canadian rye whisky. The bottle combines clean lines with wide shoulders, frost etched glass and a soft ribbed base and closure that improve grip. Brushed brass and gold foil details contrast with the textured glass. The box repeats the ribbed texture on the outside and is lined in a soft cream suede tone with gold detailing. A magnetized gold medallion locks the double flap doors. The bottle rests in a gold socket and can be lifted out. The forms refer to maple trunks and rye grain.
Situated within the distinguished tradition of premium spirits presentation design, Tiago Russo's The Maple 7 Canadian Rye Whisky achieves a compelling synthesis of historical reference and contemporary sophistication that positions the product within the upper echelons of aged whiskey offerings. The packaging system demonstrates remarkable coherence between primary vessel and secondary presentation elements, establishing a visual language that speaks simultaneously to heritage and innovation. The bottle's architectural form, with its broad-shouldered decanter silhouette and precisely faceted base, evokes the substantial glass vessels of distinguished spirits collections while introducing contemporary proportional refinements that suggest approachability alongside gravitas. The deeply cut vertical fluting at the base represents particularly accomplished design thinking, transforming functional packaging into sculptural object while creating dynamic optical effects as light interacts with the prismatic surfaces. Chromatic decisions reveal sophisticated understanding of how color communicates quality markers within the spirits category, the warm amber palette suggesting age, depth, and careful maturation, while golden metallic accents signal premium positioning without veering toward ostentation. The typography demonstrates hierarchical clarity with "THE MAPLE" establishing brand presence in refined capitals while the dramatically scaled numeral "7" creates immediate visual impact and communicates the whiskey's aging statement with confident simplicity. The presentation box in burnished burgundy provides chromatic warmth that harmonizes with the spirit's amber tones while its matte surface texture creates material contrast against the bottle's luminous glass. The embossed medallion and coordinated typography ensure brand recognition across touchpoints while adding tactile dimension to the unboxing experience. Viewers might consider how contemporary packaging design increasingly functions as object-making, creating vessels and containers that transcend mere protection and identification to become aesthetic objects worthy of display and collection in their own right.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- A collaboration between The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. and Highwood Distillers, The Maple 7 is the fruit of the expertise of creating world-class whiskey profiles and experiences at CIWC merged with the charismatic notes of Canadian maple and rye. A strong presence with a delicate attention to detail, this is the ultimate concept transversal to either the whisky and the design of both bottle and packaging, culminating in a powerful, luxurious experiential whisky tasting experience.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Glass and metal contrast with the soft, textured surfacing of the cardboard and suede within the packaging. The Maple 7 brings together a balanced combination of finishes, with brushed brass and gold foiling highlight the subtleness of frost etched glass, the light ribbed cardboard texture of the soft-touch suede, always combining striking artwork details with blind debossing to create added immersion, exploring the depth of the materials through the senses.
- Tags
- Whisky, luxury, design, bottle, experience, packaging, product, exclusive, drinking, Canada
- Production Technology
- Shaped with strong visuals and presence, The Maple 7 vessel combines clean aesthetics with large bottle shoulders for augmented presence, with soft ribbed base and closure, exponentially increasing their grip, in a mixture of clean and textured glass, and gold metallic detailing. The box follows as a direct extension to this paradigm, with partial ribbed texture on the outside, and an interior cladding in soft cream suede colours and gold detailing, highlighting the vessel and the whisky inside.
- Design Challenge
- As a collaboration and merging of Irish and Canadian elements, each element within The Maple 7 design must pay homage to this unique cultural bridge. Embracing a strong yet naturally achieved presence, characteristic of the North American visual language, the packaging then brings together the Irish design language, with soft, delicate textures and a sensorial play of embossing and debossing, foil and blind pressing, elevating this whiskey to the luxurious tasting experience it deserves.
- Project Duration
- Designed across 3 months of R&D and shaping, The Maple 7 is a whisky that takes its time, slowly maturing over 7 years to perfect the subtleness of flavours and profiles. Visible as the passage of time through the glass ribs, this refined whisky sees its attention detail attributed to the casks and the aging reflect on every single element of the design. Enduring the passage of time, the vessel, the packaging, the materials and features ask for a calm, slowed down tasting experience altogether.
- Operation Flow
- With a central magnetized gold medallion that locks everything together, The Maple 7 box can be opened through the rigid double flap doors, revealing the bottle and the rich whisky tones contrasting with the light cream shade of the suede. Around, gold detailing enhances depth and reflection to the glass details. The bottle, held within a gold base socket, can be removed by sliding through the housing that holds the closure at the very top, whilst keeping the strong visual presence intact.
- Research
- As the first collaboration from The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. with Canadian casks, it is imperative that the solution created has the utmost knowledge of the cultural and visual cues that make this type of whisky so characteristic, whilst keeping a distinctive, disruptive and relatable presence that highlights and elevates CIWC and its Irish heritage. As a product that is aged for 7 years, it is also imperative to separate The Maple 7 from the competition, creating a distinctive presence on-shelf.
- Inspiration
- Bringing the luxurious, elevated experiential designs from The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. across the Atlantic, The Maple 7 is inspired by the strong visual presence of the maple tree trunks and mountains landscape, bringing together warm colours and strong, straight grain textures reminiscent of the trees and the rye that make the essence of this exclusive whisky. The Maple 7 is an ode to the bridging of the Irish culture and the Canadian whisky, bringing together an intemporal design.
- Image Credits
- The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.
Colors of The Maple 7 Canadian Rye Whisky
Get The Maple 7 Canadian Rye Whisky
Luxury Irish Whiskey Collection
We craft the world's most exceptional Irish whiskeys, sparing no expense in our pursuit of perfection. Our award-winning collection represents a complete reimagining of whiskey-making, elevating each expression to rival the finest wine and art. Experience whiskeys of distinction.
G0E26 Shop