Launched in 2005, Monkey Shoulder is a blended Scotch that aimed at the time to disrupt the market and bring the fun back into whisky for a new generation of connoisseurs.
Blended from three different Scotch malts, the brand takes its name from the ‘mash men’ who used to spread malted barley from the whisky steeps on a concrete floor, where it had to be turned regularly for a week. Long shifts with the malt shovels caused many to develop repetitive strain injuries which left one arm hanging low like a monkey’s – hence, the term ‘monkey shoulder’ was coined.
Having undergone unprecedented growth, William Grant, the brand owners of Monkey Shoulder, wanted to upgrade the bottle style and refine the affixed badge. This would help to continue the growth of the brand and improve operational efficiencies.
Having already established the badge style and design, this project needed to conform to the existing embellishment process, which was quick and efficient.
We quickly established that affixing the iconic metal badge to the glass bottle came with operational inefficiencies. However, by amending the design to include a groove location device on the reverse of the badge, as well as a rough texture to increase adhesion, the whole embellishment process could be improved dramatically.
Due to the positioning of the badge on the curved shoulder of the bottle, and the delicate shape of the badge itself, the precise curvature of each badge was essential to ensure good contact for the adhesive and to facilitate automated application.
Initially, a representative sample of the badges was checked against a manual jig to ensure they met the required tolerance. But even one bent or twisted badge could lead to a jam within the automated application lines, so this process was later improved.
The badges are now put through 3D scanning and each Monkey Shoulder badge is automatically inspected before being approved to proceed to the line.
The Monkey Shoulder brand has continued its rise as a quality disruptive product in the whisky market, quickly becoming a market leader in several countries around the world.
Signet’s commitment to ensuring that the brand could keep its distinctive look while moving to a high-volume automated process has successfully supported this growth.
Our design allowed the brand to continue to produce the quantities needed to meet increasing demand.
Signet continues to supply badges numbering up to 8 million each year, giving an indication of the massive success of this project.
Never under-estimate the impact of finish elements like a seal. It’s not always about print or labelling!
