The Macallan V5

THE BACKGROUND

An obsession with quality has been the hallmark of The Macallan since its founding by Alexander Reid on a plateau above the river Spey in north-east Scotland. Every Macallan single malt reveals the unrivalled commitment to the mastery of wood and spirit for which The Macallan has been known since it was established in 1824. The Macallan’s Oscuro V5 is part of the company’s Masters Decanter Series created to showcase the beautiful colour range of its stunning single malts.

THE BRIEF

The brief for this project came directly from the client. They already had a visual concept for the finished packaging, which took the form of a stunning, sculptural glass decanter with a large stopper and a golden neck collar. However, there were no further details about the dimensions of the product, or how the visual should be rendered into reality. Therefore we worked in direct collaboration with the client from the outset, to bring their vision to life.

THE SOLUTION

We based the design of the neck collar on the drawings we had received, which featured a 3D pattern of diamonds, giving an effect akin to quilted leather or tufted upholstery. The client was clear that they wanted the item to sit flush with the glass bead running around the top of the decanter, so this gave us a tangible goal. The first prototype we produced was rejected by the client, because they felt it would be too difficult to attach to the bottle. At this stage, we received a glass sample which enabled us to take a much more informed approach to the design of a second prototype. For this sample, we devised an innovative joining method with a hidden clasp that would make it much simpler to apply the collars to the bottles. This second sample was approved by the client, and following communications between the designers, the client and the glass suppliers, Signet was able to create a design with the perfect dimensions including the appropriate tolerances needed to achieve a perfect fit. We also painstakingly matched the gold plating on the collar to The Macallan’s signature brand colours for a flawless finish.

THE RESULT

The outcome of this project was an impressive neck collar adding richness and tactile appeal to the design of this stunning, heirloom quality bottle of single malt. During the design process we were mindful of the design of the bottle’s prestigious two-tone cork stopper and the neck collar really compliments this both in terms of colour and style for a beautifully balanced and seamless visual impression. In order to achieve a completely professional look, the final bottle featured a special lug to lock the collar to the bottle and prevent it rotating, which made sure that the finished product looked stunning from every angle.
A spokesperson for The Macallan said: “Signet proactively produced a number of prototypes and samples, their knowledge and expertise became apparent as they tenaciously interpreted the design brief creating the desired finished product with a cleverly engineered hidden clip mechanism. Signet were able to match the brand colour, and this, together with their persistence secured the order for the V5 neck collar. We are very pleased with the end product.”