Writers’ Tears, one of the Irish whiskeys that has symbolised the category’s global renaissance in the last two decades, has revealed a suite of exciting enhancements to its iconic bottle, label and packaging. Most of all, Writers’ Tears afficionados in over 50 countries can now look forward to the comforting feeling and sound of a cork slowly easing from the bottle every time they go to pour a dram, or taoscán (tash-cawn), to use the Irish term for a serving of whiskey. The elegant bottle also comes in for special treatment, most notably with a large glass tear drop embossed onto the bottle-shoulder, above and to the front of the main label.
Revealing the exciting new design features, Bernard Walsh, co-founder of Walsh Whiskey and creator of Writers’ Tears said: “We created Writers’ Tears in 2009 and this is the first time we have redesigned and enhanced the Writers’ Tears bottle and packaging for its loyal followers the world over. By introducing a cork, while embellishing and enhancing the bottle and label, Writers’ Tears is making a bolder statement to consumers – be that on premise, in store or at home – that better reflects the super-premium positioning of the range.”
Walsh added: In particular, I have been planning to introduce a cork to the bottle for some time. To me it’s the sound of well-earned relaxation, to be either shared or contemplated alone with one’s thoughts.”
The cork is wrapped in foil imprinted with the Writers’ Tears logo and the gift box has been redesigned to feature many of Ireland’s greatest writers, such as Oscar Wilde and James Joyce, rendered in a funky, graffiti style. Each expression in the range of 6 expressions has its own uniquely coloured gift box. The redesigned bottle and gift box packaging are 100% recyclable, with the box made from recycled fibre (73%).
With strong support from Bord Bia’s Insight Centre – ‘The Thinking House’, Bernard Walsh commissioned the renowned London drinks packaging design and brand consultancy, Stranger and Stranger, to develop the brand refresh which is being applied across all livery for the six expressions of Writers’ Tears. The core range comprises three expressions, namely: Copper Pot, Double Oak and Red Head. Two of the limited-edition expressions in the range are under the Writers’ Tears Copper Pot line and feature rare cask finishes – Marsala and Mizunara. The third limited-edition expression is a Cask Strength vintage which is produced annually.
Ground-breaking Website
Walsh Whiskey have taken the opportunity of the Writers’ Tears brand refresh to invest in a ground-breaking, new website (www.walshwhiskey.com) designed and built by Dublin brand consultancy Slater.
The new website introduces a number of firsts to the Irish whiskey category, designed to facilitate consumers’ identifying and sourcing their ideal expression from the Walsh Whiskey range:
- A Worldwide Stockist Locator that enables consumers to easily identify where they can source bottles of Writers’ Tears & The Irishman.
- An Interactive Flavour-wheel that helps consumers find the perfect expression of whiskey to suit their palate from the range of 14 premium and super-premium whiskeys in the extended Walsh Whiskey range (Writers’ Tears & The Irishman).
Walsh Whiskey have also decided to include nutritional information on the redesigned website for all expressions, to enhance the consumer experience and give additional information to supporters of its whiskeys.
The full suite of bottle and label enhancements include:
Closure – Cork & Foil
The cork is wrapped in a foil seal which must be broken before the cork can be removed. The foil features the Writers’ Tears logo medallion on the neck of the bottle. The medallion also appears on the surface of the wooden cork stopper.
Bottle
Writers’ Tears tall, Victorian-styled bottle is becoming even more distinctive with the addition of both an embossed and debossed feature. A large teardrop has been embossed onto the bottle at shoulder level and positioned above and to the front of the main label.
The Writers’ Tears name itself has been debossed onto the glass base of the bottle, which has been deepened.
The iconic bottle is also slightly wider (2mm) and heavier (100gm) than before.
Labelling
The main label has been lengthened and given clean, straight lines; the key letters ‘WT’ are cut into the top left hand label margin; each expression is assigned a notional ‘chapter number’ of its own to denote the chronology of their creation – with Copper Pot designated as chapter ‘01’.
Limited and Single Cask editions have their own slightly differentiated design elements to allow for special ‘typed’ or ‘handwritten’ notes about the special expressions.
The label on the bottle-neck carries the technical detail of each whiskey including the whiskey, cask and still types; the batch and bottle number.
Gift Box
Stunning new gift boxes have been designed for the entire range, featuring an intricate graffiti-style illustration which pays tribute to great Irish writers, past and present. Relax over a dram/ taoscán (tash-cawn) while studying the gift box to identify which of Ireland’s greatest writers appear on the pack! The gift box is made from recycled fibre (73%).
The enhancements have been applied to all six expressions in the range:
Core Range
- Writers’ Tears Copper Pot – Chapter ‘01’
- Writers’ Tears Red Head – Chapter ‘02’
- Writers’ Tears Double Oak – Chapter ‘03’
Limited Edition Range
- Writers’ Tears Cask Strength – Chapter ‘04’
- Writers’ Tears Marsala Cask Finish – Chapter ‘05’
- Writers’ Tears Mizunara Cask Finish – Chapter ‘06’
