Shay Vsop Cognac Igbadun

Press Kit

Unique Properties

Based on the iconic bell-shaped cognac bottles, the Shay VSOP vessel has a large bulb with a stepped ice that elevates the vessel and the liquid into higher, floating aesthetics, leading to a long, narrow neck, maximising the control of the cognac flow. The box, on the other hand, has a geometric approach, opposed to the organic flow of the bottle. The black wooden box adopts and adapts the same minimalist approach from the bottle, and has small silver accents on top of the black stained wood.

Dimensions & Packaging

The vessel's top, finished with a knurled neck and black embossed print, sets a silver accent just below the black obsidian closure, with a bespoke illustration at the very top. Inside, a light grey suede clads the deep foam socket that houses the bottle, with the exact same material finishing the inside of the door, where visual elements are printed in a dark tone, contrasting with the light fabric that provides a neutral luxurious hint to the dark box.

Tags

Cognac, luxury, design, craftsmanship, Shannon, experience, immersion, packaging, product, exclusive

Production Technology

Shay VSOP is all about the contrasts that elevate the cognac's shades and presence. The organic bottle has minor silver metallic detailing, contrasting with the dark obsidian, in the same way the black box exterior is inverted by a floating off-white suede inside, wrapping the bottle and elevating it as a light backdrop where all the colours burst as light is received inside the opening of the luxurious box.

Design Challenge

In a market densely populated by ranges of cognac products, the main challenge in the design and development of Shay VSOP was to achieve a product that, as it represents a new brand and its inaugural release, could enter the market associating a quality product with a differentiating design that highlights and evolves the concept of cognac. Marking a statement approach, Shay VSOP merges a large vessel with fine detailing, embedded into a luxurious box that elevates the cognac inside.

Research

Shay VSOP is a product of differentiation, of perfectionism and heritage. The early development stages were entirely focused on the history of Shannon Sharpe and Mary Porter, whilst redirecting such important historical connotation towards a product that can become an outstanding presence on the American market. Colours, materials and the concept of a cognac bottle had to be re-thought in order to develop a product truly disruptive.

Inspiration

Shay is the first product for the new Cognac brand Le Portier, and gathers a combination of the classic cognac heritage with a contemporary approach, culminating in a beautiful bespoke bottle with black obsidian and a black tinted luxurious box, whilst a sense of exclusiveness and luxury is inherent to the bottle, where minimalist details allow the shaping of the glass to take the centre stage, maximising the rich shades of the cognac to shine through.

Project Duration

Being a collaboration between the Craft Distilling Group and former-NFL superstar Shannon Sharpe, Shay VSOP was created with the aim to take the American market by storm, and rapidly becoming one of the most exclusive and sought-after cognacs in the US. Its promotion, associated with the Shannon Sharpe and all of the history of Mary Porter, have granted a notorious relevance to this product, making it steadily expand and become available in a total of 47 different states in the last year alone.

Operation Flow

Open the box through the silver side clasp, whilst contemplating the dark wood tones and silver detailing. Inside, the dark tones are contrasted by a bright, off white fabric cladding, wrapping the whole interior of the Shay VSOP box. On the left side, educational information is printed on the fabric, and on the right, a vacuum-formed inlay houses the bottle, gently highlighting its contours, revealing the low bulb vessel and the brightness of the cognac tones inside.

Image Credits

Le Portier