Story unveils packaging and launch film for Ardbeg The Abyss

After almost two years in the making, we’re excited to reveal the unique packaging, comms platform and launch assets for the release of an exceptionally rare and historic whisky – Ardbeg The Abyss.

It’s a thrill to be part of the team bringing the ‘legendary heart of Corryvreckan’ to the attention of whisky fans and high net worth collectors the world over, stoking desire, fuelling fame and driving leads through Ardbeg’s private sales channels.

The whisky has a unique story to tell. Drawn from the last surviving French oak casks used for the original, now-legendary Corryvreckan limited edition, Ardbeg The Abyss will never be repeated. Each bottle is presented alongside an original comic book by Tradd Moore, retelling the tale of Prince Breacan (a story we told first time round for the original 2008 Corryvreckan launch).

Story’s creative team were tasked with designing packaging “like no other” to display this legendary limited edition whisky with the comic book.

The solution: an extraordinary space-capsule-meets-diving chamber. Complete with port holes, gauges and a masterfully-engineered locking mechanism, it is inspired by the whirlpool at the heart of the comic book story, and the dramatic twists and turns of the whisky’s flavours. 

For launch, Story developed a suite of comms including key visual, emails and films. The films combine live action and animation to bring the product story, packaging and comic book illustrations to life in a suitably epic way. 

Dave Mullen, Executive Creative Director at Story, said:

“This is one of the most creatively rewarding projects we’ve worked on for Ardbeg to date. To have created the original Corryvreckan work many years ago, inspiration for this release, and then have the opportunity to work with such a talented bunch of people to bring this twist in the tale to a new audience of Ardbeg fans has been a real pleasure. It’s an epic piece of design for a legendary whisky.”