Gold Packaging Design · 2024
The Mulong Single Malt Irish Whiskey
by Tiago Russo and Katia Martins
- A' Design Award 2024 Gold Winner in Packaging Design
- Awarded April 15, 2024
- CLIENT: The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 1,143,056
- Verification code 6A6399D322 · Verify this award
About The Mulong Single Malt Irish Whiskey
The Mulong is a packaging design for a single malt Irish whiskey. The bottle and its presentation box are inspired by the Chinese Year of the Wood Dragon. Mahogany components refer to the casks used for the whiskey, while metallic trims follow traditional Chinese patterns. The top of the bottle forms a temple shape, and the closure must be rotated into a set pattern to open. A hidden key unlocks the box, where doors, sliding partitions and two drawers hold the glasses, coasters and accessories. The design creates a slow reveal and a gradual discovery.
Tiago Russo's The Mulong Single Malt Irish Whiskey presentation cabinet represents an exceptional achievement in contemporary luxury packaging design, drawing upon centuries-old traditions of ceremonial object housing while introducing distinctly modern sensibilities in material selection and formal articulation. The work participates in a venerable lineage of precious object containers, from medieval reliquaries designed to house sacred remnants to elaborate cabinets of curiosity that transformed viewing into ritualized encounter, yet translates these historical precedents through a contemporary design vocabulary that synthesizes Eastern and Western craft traditions. The geometric fretwork panels, executed with meticulous precision, reference traditional screen architecture found across multiple cultural traditions, creating a visual dialogue between transparency and opacity that transforms the act of viewing into an experience of gradual revelation. The selection of figured wood with its distinctive horizontal grain pattern demonstrates sophisticated material sensibility, allowing natural organic variation to provide visual interest while the precise joinery and geometric lattice assert human craft and intention. The interior illumination, apparently integrated into the cabinet architecture, creates theatrical drama that elevates the decanter beyond mere vessel into object of contemplation, the warm amber glow suggesting both the color of aged spirits and the golden light associated with precious metals and sacred spaces. The crystal decanter itself achieves sculptural distinction through its asymmetrical wrapping element, which introduces dynamic diagonal movement into an otherwise rigorously symmetrical presentation, perhaps suggesting the transformative journey of spirit through time and barrel. The burgundy leather lining visible on opened doors provides chromatic warmth and tactile luxury while protecting the outer wooden surfaces when closed, demonstrating integration of practical function with aesthetic intention. The brass hardware elements, from the delicate hinges to the distinctive hanging clasp with fabric tassel, contribute both mechanical function and decorative refinement, their warm metallic tone harmonizing with the amber interior light. Viewers might contemplate how this presentation transforms the acquisition and enjoyment of fine spirits into ceremonial practice, asking what rituals of appreciation and gratitude does such elaborate housing invite or require.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- An homage to the Year of the Dragon, and the Wood Dragon itself, The Mulong is a symbol of immersion, a journey of discovery, an elevation and tribute to Chinese culture, values and mythology. Capturing and bottling the symbolism and values of the Chinese Dragon, this journey starts with a vessel that embodies the details of this mythical creature, merging wood and metal detailing to generate a slow reveal, a sensorial experience in a moment to appreciate one of the finest whiskeys on earth.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The closure is locked at the very top by a metallic mesh that hides away a red gemstone at the very top of the bottle. Once unlocked, it can be removed and placed as a plinth to serve and elevate the bottle itself. Inside, the doors reveal the coasters and two partitions, that can slide and merge into a single pattern, to allow for the removal of either the glasses or bottle. Underneath, hidden away with the metal trims, two drawers reveal the accessories for the ultimate whiskey experience.
- Tags
- Whiskey, luxury, design, craftsmanship, experience, immersion, packaging, product, Dragon, Chinese
- Production Technology
- Wooden components were added to the bottle structure as a direct homage to the Wood Dragon and the casks used to create The Mulong whiskey. To balance them, metallic trims inspired by Chinese patterns reflect the temple structure at the top of the bottle, where a closure is inscribed with words of positive value, that have to be rotated into a certain pattern in order to unleash the closure itself. The box further extends this process, where hidden keys unlock the bottle holder and riser itself.
- Design Challenge
- To pay a tribute, the ultimate homage, an incredible amount of dedication and immersion into Chinese culture, values and mythology is mandatory from the very first second of the design process. The Mulong aims to bring an elevation of the entire perception of The Year of The Dragon, associated with a whiskey and sensorial experience that truly brings an intimate, perfected moment to the users that have the opportunity to unleash the good fortune and powers of The Mulong.
- Project Duration
- Idealised and studied for over a year, The Mulong was a discovery of traditional Chinese elements that could be integrated and crafted into the utmost contemporary design. Its core development duration has been directly related to the immersion and homage into all the meaningful assets of Chinese culture, in a respectful tribute that creates a parallelism into the dedication and craftsmanship poured into the creation of such a rare and unique whiskey inside.
- Operation Flow
- Once the key is extracted from the hidden partition within the dragon in the back of the experience box, that same key will start the unlocking of all of The Mulong's secrets. Opening the front doors through its traditional handle, the user can immerse upon the detail of this temple of meaningful, sensorial mythology. Sliding the partitions to remove the items, one must now unlock the upper lock to unleash the bottle and its sheer powerful presence, creating the ultimate experiential moment.
- Research
- There is no Mulong without a deep dive into the Chinese zodiac and all the cultural values directly linked to the mythology and mysticism of each and every single element of the Year of the Dragon. The iconography, the symbolism, the meaning, the proverbs, and ultimately, the core values of the Wood Dragon, all present in The Mulong are the core basis to all the R&D and design process of this uniquely crafted experience: attention to detail is present on every single element of this experience.
- Inspiration
- Directly inspired and paying the utmost homage to the Chinese Year of the Dragon, The Mulong takes its core elements and features from Chinese culture and Design, where ancestral mahogany work merges with metallic patterns and secret partitions, creating a memorable discovery of every single detail within this whiskey. Being 2024 the year of the Wood Dragon, Mulong takes its direct approach and correlation to the wooden elements and symbolism present in the craftsmanship of the whiskey there.
- Image Credits
- The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.
Colors of The Mulong Single Malt Irish Whiskey
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