Entitled the Liberties Lantern, the luxury pack is modeled on the actual Pearse Lyons’ distillery - the renovated St James’ Church and its signature glass spire, located in the center of Dublin’s historic whiskey district. 

With creative design by Harrogate-based agency, harr+bass, the challenge for the constructional design team was how best to showcase the wide-shouldered single malt bottle, plinth and distillery spire in a single luxury pack, while accurately mirroring the architectural angles of the stone and glasswork of the spire. 

The adventurous and ambitious solution was based on the crafting of the spire itself, created in transparent PET, which followed the exact proportions of the actual spire. The design then needed to sit securely on a rigid board plinth, on which the malt whiskey is nestled. To achieve this, a two-part mechanism cleverly interlocks the spire with its plinth, using pins that mirror the huge bolts which hold the actual spire in place. This locking mechanism has been expertly executed to ensure that once packed, the bottle also remains centrally located with the Pearse Lyons bottle branding facing front and clearly visible, as well as there being no vertical movement of the bottle in the pack, therefore reducing the risk of breakages on its retail journey.

The plinth itself was constructed to feel solid as stone, with its size being designed to reduce tip issues with the wide-shouldered bottle. Assembled from a greyboard skeleton wrapped in 120gsm uncoated paper, the plinth was stylishly printed in base solid PMS cool grey 8U, with black text and hot foil blocked in gold in two positions; the material selection also considered the tactile feel of the pack and its resilience in all likely environments. A removable inset plinth, constructed of the same material, provides a seat for the bottle itself, while at the same time also offering a novel secondary use: by simply removing the bottle and inverting the inset plinth, the single malt can be showcased in all its glory for all to see, independently from the complete pack itself. 

With sustainable packaging high on the agenda at Pearse Lyons Distillery, the design is constructed in part with recycled materials, with all materials being 100% recyclable. The pack also highlights the distillery’s commitment to the environment with the use of the green dot to show their financial commitment to the recovery and recycling of packaging materials. 

“This is a compelling story, which has been told through structural design excellence to catch the imagination of the consumer and provide a rich immersion into Pearse Lyons’ DNA,” said Simon Dipple, SVP International Business Development at BellaGiada. “The simple print and foiling decoration techniques used on the pack maintain engagement throughout, creating an extraordinary visual experience.”