Mucca Takes the Mystery Out of Hard Liquor with Branding for Bellemara Distillery

With a custom typeface as well as a focus on liquor literacy and transparency, new branding helps to make the world of spirits more accessible/u00a0

While plenty of people enjoy gin and whiskey, the world of high-quality spirits has long been steeped in leathery, cigar smoke-soaked aesthetics, with brands that are knowingly and unknowingly intimidating and exclusionary. With a mission of stripping away hard liquor's opaque veneer and inviting newcomers to the world of spirits, a New Jersey distiller partnered with NY-based creative studio/u00a0Mucca/u00a0to launch Bellemara.

Newly opened on a bucolic farm in Hillsborough, NJ, Bellemara is an award-winning craft. The distillery was created by a former Navy Submarine Officer and single-malt connoisseur whose passions drove him to move to Scotland for a year to earn a master in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. He returned to cultivate a new fan base for traditional spirits by creating a brand that acknowledges the distinguished heritage of single malt while making it more accessible. After an extensive multi-day workshop, Mucca developed a strategy/u2013applied across identity, website design, packaging, signage, merchandise, and more/u2013with a singular goal: demystify hard liquor.

/u201cWe found that to no surprise, single-malt liquor can be intimidating and often comes with its tropes,/u201d explains Mucca Founder and Creative Director Matteo Bologna. /u201cFor Bellemara, we needed to upend the stereotype of those stuffy oak rooms filled with ancient whiskeys. The truth is, that only appeals to a small demographic of the consumers in this broad category, so there was a great opportunity to expand the audience for this product by challenging preconceptions and creating a more accessible point of entry for the curious drinker./u201d

Central to this goal was the creation of a custom typeface utilized throughout all of the brand touchpoints. "Bellemara Display/u201d recalls typography found on vintage liquor labels, and with its sensuous curves and distinct notes of Art Nouveau, it acts as a nod to whiskey's rich heritage. Meanwhile, its geometric counterpart, /u201cGT Cinetype/u201d, calls upon straight lines to temper any curves, and ultimately speaks to the modern science behind the production of the various liquors the brand distills - whiskey, gin, and single-malt spirits.

The bottle packaging also became an important tool for promoting the brand/u2019s engaging tone of voice with approachable label copywriting that speaks directly to the consumer. The clean label design also helped Bellemara/u2019s whiskey, single-malt spirits, and gin feel small-batch and high quality, but not overdone with embellishments. For example, by utilizing a simple two-tone color palette, Mucca was able to use one dark tone to convey the tradition and technique and another lighter, unexpected pink hue to speak to the distillery/u2019s more youthful and unexpected approach to innovation.

The packaging/u2019s label system was designed to expand as the nascent distillery grows and introduces new product lines. Finally, in a nod to the hand-crafted, small-batch nature of the brand, a simplified neckband, and hand-pressed wax seal gives each bottle a personalized finishing touch that retains a link to the Old World.

/u201cIt was important for that direct simplicity to come through not just on the website, but on the bottle too/u2013places that traditionally make spirits brands feel unapproachable,/u201d says Mucca Designer Sean O/u2019Connor. /u201cRather than highlighting how long it/u2019s aged for or its origin, the packaging describes tasting notes and other relevant insights to help someone feel empowered and have a better sense of whether it/u2019s a spirit they/u2019d enjoy./u201d

The result is a brand that acts as an enticing entry point to an insular industry too often shrouded in technical details. /u201cThe founders of Bellemara obviously have a love for spirits and we just wanted to make sure that contagious passion was reflected throughout their brand,/u201d says Bologna. /u201cThe spirits industry needs more /u2018Unboring Brands/u2019 /u2013 brands that celebrate the tradition of distilling without being held back by its past perceptions. We were happy to play a part in helping Bellemara find a voice as memorable as its spirits./u201d

About Mucca

As experts in the world of food and drink,/u00a0Mucca/u00a0partners with private labels, markets, and spirit makers while always reserving a place at their table for hotels, a favorite drop-in guest. With a cultured perspective and a healthy allergy to trends, they fight to detox design from boredom and build brands that people crave.