The Maple 7 Pounamu Whisky, Tāpi Kōpaki by Tiago Russo and Katia Martins

The Maple 7 Pounamu Whisky, Tāpi Kōpaki by Tiago Russo and Katia Martins is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award Hiriwa in Hoahoa Takai Competition Category.

HiriwaTakai· 2024

The Maple 7 Pounamu Whisky, Tāpi Kōpaki

by Tiago Russo and Katia Martins

Client: The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.

A' Design Award Hiriwa Winner in Takai Category

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Verified Award Winner
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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About The Maple 7 Pounamu Whisky, Tāpi Kōpaki

Ko te Maple 7 he hoahoa pounamu me te pouaka i waihangatia mō tētahi whisky rai nō Kānata. Ka whakakotahihia e te pounamu ngā rārangi mā me ngā pokohiwi whānui, te karaihe kua whakairotia ki te haupapa, me te take me te taupoki e ngā rārangi ngāwari e whai hua ai te pupuri. Ko ngā taipitopito parahi kua parahia me te pēra koura e whakataurite ana ki te karaihe kua whakakakanotia. Ka tāruatia e te pouaka te kakano rārangi ki waho, ā, kua whakapaparangihia ki roto ki tētahi tae suede kirīmi ngāwari me ngā whakapaipai koura. Mā tētahi metara koura autō e raka ngā tatau paihau takirua. Ka noho te pounamu ki tētahi tūranga koura, ā, ka taea te hiki ake. Ko ngā āhua he tohutoro ki ngā tinana rākau maple me te kākano rai.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Hiriwa

Ko The Maple 7 Pounamu Whisky, Tāpi Kōpaki te toa o te A' Design Award Hiriwa, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa taumata teitei rawa, ātaahua me te whakamīharo. Ko ngā toa Hiriwa he mahi tino kanapa, tino auaha e whakaatu ana i te mātanga, te pūmanawa me te mōhio hōhonu o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko The Maple 7 Pounamu Whisky, Tāpi Kōpaki he mahi whakamīharo, he tauira, he tino ngaio, he auaha hōhonu. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Hiriwa he hanganga rongonui, whakamīharotia e whai wāhi ana ki te whakawhānui i ngā rohe o te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau. Ko The Maple 7 Pounamu Whisky, Tāpi Kōpaki he mahi e hae ana te tini, e whakaara ana i ngā hiahia, e kawe mai ana i ngā kare-ā-roto pai, ā, e whakaoho ana i te mīharo.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: A collaboration between The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. and Highwood Distillers, The Maple 7 is the fruit of the expertise of creating world-class whiskey profiles and experiences at CIWC merged with the charismatic notes of Canadian maple and rye. A strong presence with a delicate attention to detail, this is the ultimate concept transversal to either the whisky and the design of both bottle and packaging, culminating in a powerful, luxurious experiential whisky tasting experience.
Dimensions & Packaging: Glass and metal contrast with the soft, textured surfacing of the cardboard and suede within the packaging. The Maple 7 brings together a balanced combination of finishes, with brushed brass and gold foiling highlight the subtleness of frost etched glass, the light ribbed cardboard texture of the soft-touch suede, always combining striking artwork details with blind debossing to create added immersion, exploring the depth of the materials through the senses.
Tags: Whisky, luxury, design, bottle, experience, packaging, product, exclusive, drinking, Canada
Production Technology: Shaped with strong visuals and presence, The Maple 7 vessel combines clean aesthetics with large bottle shoulders for augmented presence, with soft ribbed base and closure, exponentially increasing their grip, in a mixture of clean and textured glass, and gold metallic detailing. The box follows as a direct extension to this paradigm, with partial ribbed texture on the outside, and an interior cladding in soft cream suede colours and gold detailing, highlighting the vessel and the whisky inside.
Design Challenge: As a collaboration and merging of Irish and Canadian elements, each element within The Maple 7 design must pay homage to this unique cultural bridge. Embracing a strong yet naturally achieved presence, characteristic of the North American visual language, the packaging then brings together the Irish design language, with soft, delicate textures and a sensorial play of embossing and debossing, foil and blind pressing, elevating this whiskey to the luxurious tasting experience it deserves.
Research: As the first collaboration from The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. with Canadian casks, it is imperative that the solution created has the utmost knowledge of the cultural and visual cues that make this type of whisky so characteristic, whilst keeping a distinctive, disruptive and relatable presence that highlights and elevates CIWC and its Irish heritage. As a product that is aged for 7 years, it is also imperative to separate The Maple 7 from the competition, creating a distinctive presence on-shelf.
Inspiration: Bringing the luxurious, elevated experiential designs from The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. across the Atlantic, The Maple 7 is inspired by the strong visual presence of the maple tree trunks and mountains landscape, bringing together warm colours and strong, straight grain textures reminiscent of the trees and the rye that make the essence of this exclusive whisky. The Maple 7 is an ode to the bridging of the Irish culture and the Canadian whisky, bringing together an intemporal design.
Project Duration: Designed across 3 months of R&D and shaping, The Maple 7 is a whisky that takes its time, slowly maturing over 7 years to perfect the subtleness of flavours and profiles. Visible as the passage of time through the glass ribs, this refined whisky sees its attention detail attributed to the casks and the aging reflect on every single element of the design. Enduring the passage of time, the vessel, the packaging, the materials and features ask for a calm, slowed down tasting experience altogether.
Operation Flow: With a central magnetized gold medallion that locks everything together, The Maple 7 box can be opened through the rigid double flap doors, revealing the bottle and the rich whisky tones contrasting with the light cream shade of the suede. Around, gold detailing enhances depth and reflection to the glass details. The bottle, held within a gold base socket, can be removed by sliding through the housing that holds the closure at the very top, whilst keeping the strong visual presence intact.
Team Members: Tiago Russo
Katia Martins
Image Credits: The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.