The Balvenie Taiwan Exclusive Moscatel Cask
Following the success of Owen Gildersleeve's multi-award winning The Balvenie Flavours campaign, Owen was invited back by The Balvenie, this time to devise a handcrafted paper set and series of animations to launch a new Taiwan Exclusive 13 Year Old Moscatel Cask whisky, continuing the brand's theme of "dedicated craftsmanship."
Taiwan is one of the biggest consumers of single malt whisky in the world and so The Balvenie wanted to create a special edition gift for the market to coincide with Chinese New Year. As with his previous series, Owen brought the flavours of the whisky to life in his multi-layered papercut style, highlighting certain key notes, including touches of plum, almond and floral sweetness, as well as the deep honey tone, represented through the layered swirling background.
For the shoot Owen once again brought in previous collaborators Mitch Payne to shoot the sets, adding his lighting magical touch, as well The Forge to retouch the shots and capture some beautiful motion work, using their 'Bolt Jr+ cinebot' motion capture arm.
Owen also brought in the London based animation studio Frantic, to bring the story of the Moscatel Cask whisky to life. For these he took on a Creative Direction role, devising a storyboard showing the story behind the blending of this exceptional whisky, as well as creating lots of papercut elements and designs to be referenced and brought to life in CGI.
The aim was to distill the brand's story it into a compelling 25 second narrative for a TV audience. This includes a journey that begins with The Balvenie's malt master Kelsey McKechnie's careful hand, guiding viewers through each carefully selected ingredient and scent for this Taiwanese exclusive whisky. Viewers are then taken on a ride through the distilling process, beginning with 13 years aged in Oloroso sherry casks and then finishing in rare Moscatel sherry casks. The animation culminates in a final scene, showing the rich flavour notes of the whisky, bringing to life Owen's beautiful papercraft set design in a manner that echoes the depth and quality of the whisky.
Client
The Balvenie
Creative Direction & Set Design
Owen Gildersleeve
Photography & Retouching
Mitch Payne
The Forge
Animation
Frantic
"
It was wonderful to be approached again by The Balvenie to help bring this new exclusive edition whisky to life in my layered papercut style and I loved seeing all the ways that the final still were brought to life as part of the project, from expansive sets to layered shelf talkers.
Alongside the final stills, videos and animations, The Balvenie also held a celebratory event to launch this new exclusive whisky to the Taiwanese market. Partnering with ART TAIPEI, the annual Asian art event held at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Building, the show promoted The Balvenie Distillery's spirit of "Single Focus, Crafting the Art of Whisky."
The Balvenie has actively explored and integrated diverse international and local art forms over the years, collaborating with like-minded artists to create exquisitely crafted works that convey the fascinating stories and beliefs behind them. As part of the brand's on-going collaboration with Owen, his papercraft sets were brought to life as various 3D artworks and large scale sets, offering Asia's most discerning collectors a unique perspective, allowing them to experience the artworks while enjoying the unique experience of The Balvenie whisky's delicate layers of flavour.
© Owen Gildersleeve 2023