The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a global whisky club that celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023. Since its establishment in Edinburgh in 1983, the society has grown to almost 40,000 members and has bottled whisky from over 180 distilleries.
The task was to design unique packaging that would stand out among other distillery lots, create product and hero imagery for marketing materials, and produce a short film capturing the making and narrative behind the concept.
Introducing ‘The Only Drop’ – an industry first. This handcrafted paper moulded sculpture celebrates the relationship between liquid and cask. It visually narrates the 33-year partnership that birthed this unique whisky. The liquid is represented by a ripple formation inspired by nature’s unrepeatable water patterns, mirroring the layers of history and taste within the whisky itself, with a single droplet symbolizing the rarity of the release. To honor the casks’ contribution to the whisky’s flavor, wood shavings from the original casks are embedded into the paper pulp sculpture. When placed on the bottle, the sculpture reunites the whisky with the cask as they once were during maturation. The shavings create a natural veining across the paper’s surface, resembling a marblesque, stone-like sculpture.
Continuing the theme of heroing the liquid, Stckmn partnered with glass decoration specialists Image On Glass. Utilizing a combination of direct-to-glass print, foiled decals, and varnish ripple, they avoided masking the whisky as traditional paper labels do. This minimized the artwork’s dominance, allowing clear visibility of the whisky and enabling light to pass through the droplet cutout on the front.
Accompanying the bottle is a hand-bound, hand-foiled booklet detailing the concept, the whisky’s journey, and tasting notes. Collaborating with Glasgow-based Juju Books and Caddie&Co for production, this handcrafted piece features bespoke copper-stained thread bindings and letter-pressed copper embellishments reflecting design elements found on the bottle and sculpture. A 10cl miniature was created to allow the buyer to sample the whisky, sharing design features with the main bottle like hand-dipped wax neck and copper foil embellishments.
Stckmn consulted with sustainable British paper innovators, James Cropper, for advice on sustainable properties and paper pulp specifications. Industrial design agency Matter was appointed for the production of the sculptural piece. Through collaboration, contemporary prototyping techniques and traditional hand-making were combined to bring the ambitious concept to life.
Besides the short film, still imagery was required for marketing materials and the auction catalogue. Working with 3D generalist Dan Sim, a hero scene featuring a levitating bottle suspended above a liquid surface was created, with a glass cask representing the purity of the liquid and its separating parts mirroring water ripples. Product photos were captured by Martin McCready of UpfrontPhotography, with art direction and post-production by Stckmn.
The Distillers One of One auction allows whisky creators to celebrate their craft and donate unique whiskies to raise vital funds for disadvantaged young people in Scotland. ‘The Only Drop’ was auctioned by Sotheby’s on October 5th, 2023, fetching £18,750, three times the lower estimate. A record-breaking £2.25 million was raised at the 2023 auction, with all proceeds aiding disadvantaged youth across Scotland via Youth Action Fund.
