The Only Drop.
A one-of-a-kind whisky.
The Only Drop.
A one-of-a-kind whisky.
The Only Drop. A one-of-a-kind-whisky.
Services
Art Direction
Packaging Design
Print Design
Product Images
Hero Imagery
3D Visualisation
Short Film
Production Management
Project Team
Innovation Consultant - Hannah Brown
Sculpture Production - Matter
Bottle Production - Image on Glass
Paper Consultant - James Cropper
Film Production - Wandern House
Photographer - Upfront Photography
3D Render - Dan Sim
Booklet Production - JuJu books | Caddie & Co.
Featured
Sotheby's
Distillers One of One
The Dieline
For the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's inaugural contribution to the Sotheby’s auction, STCKMN was commisioned to lead on the design and production of their never-to-be-repeated whisky release.
The Auction
The Distillers One of One auction gives whisky creators the opportunity to come together as an industry to celebrate their craft and donate a one-of-a-kind whisky to raise vital funds to help disadvantaged young people in Scotland.
The Client
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a global whisky club that celebrates 40 years in 2023. Since it was first established in Edinburgh in 1983 the society has expanded to almost 40,000 members and has bottled whisky from over 180 distilleries.
The Brief
Design a one-of-a-kind packaging design that would compete for attention amongst the other distillery lots, create product and hero imagery for use in the marketing materials and production of a short film capturing the making and narrative behind the concept.
The Result
An industry first ‘The Only Drop’ is a handcrafted paper moulded sculpture that celebrates the relationship between liquid and cask. A visual narrative of the 33-year partnership that gave birth to this unique whisky.
The liquid itself is represented by a ripple formation that’s inspired by the unrepeatable pattern of water in nature, mirroring the layers of history and taste within the whisky itself with a single droplet representing the rarity of the release.
To honour the casks’ contribution to the flavour in the whisky, wood shavings from the original casks are embedded into the paper pulp sculpture. The idea being that when the sculpture is placed onto the bottle it reunites the whisky with the cask as they once were during maturation.
A 10cl miniature was created to allow the buyer to sample the whisky. It shares the same design features as the main bottle such as hand dipped wax neck and copper foil embellishments.
Accompanying the bottles is a hand-bound, hand foiled booklet that details the concept of "The Only Drop', the whiskies journey and tasting notes.
The Auction
The Distillers One of One auction gives whisky creators the opportunity to come together as an industry to celebrate their craft and donate a one-of-a-kind whisky to raise vital funds to help disadvantaged young people in Scotland.
The Client
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a global whisky club that celebrates 40 years in 2023. Since it was first established in Edinburgh in 1983 the society has expanded to almost 40,000 members and has bottled whisky from over 180 distilleries. For their inaugural contribution to the Sotheby’s auction, they partnered with STCKMN to lead on the design and production of their never-to-be-repeated whisky release.
The Brief
Design a one-of-a-kind packaging design that would compete for attention amongst the other distillery lots, create product and hero imagery for use in the marketing materials and production of a short film capturing the making and narrative behind the concept.
The Result
‘The Only Drop’ a handcrafted paper moulded sculpture that celebrates the relationship between liquid and cask. A visual narrative of the 33-year partnership that gave birth to this unique whisky.
The liquid itself is represented by a ripple formation that’s inspired by the unrepeatable pattern of water in nature, mirroring the layers of history and taste within the whisky itself with a single droplet representing the rarity of the release.
To honour the casks’ contribution to the flavour in the whisky, wood shavings from the original casks are embedded into the paper pulp sculpture. The idea being that when the sculpture is placed onto the bottle it reunites the whisky with the cask as they once were during maturation.
A 10cl miniature was created to allow the buyer to sample the whisky. It shares the same design features as the main bottle such as hand dipped wax neck and copper foil embellishments.
Accompanying the bottles is a hand-bound, hand foiled booklet that details the concept of "The Only Drop', the whiskies journey and tasting notes.
STCKMN consulted with sustainable British paper innovators, James Cropper for advice on sustainable properties and paper pulp specifications and worked collaboratively with industrial design agency MATTER on the production of the sculptural piece. MATTER applied a combination of contemporary prototyping techniques and traditional hand making to take it from ambitious concept to a reality.
For the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's inaugural contribution to the Sotheby’s auction, Stckmn was commissioned to lead on the design and production of their never-to-be-repeated whisky release.
For the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's inaugural contribution to the Sotheby’s auction, Stckmn was commissioned to lead on the design and production of their never-to-be-repeated whisky release.
For the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's inaugural contribution to the Sotheby’s auction, Stckmn was commissioned to lead on the design and production of their never-to-be-repeated whisky release.
For the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's inaugural contribution to the Sotheby’s auction, Stckmn was commisioned to lead on the design and production of their never-to-be-repeated whisky release.
The Client
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a global whisky club that celebrated 40 years in 2023. Since it was first established in Edinburgh in 1983 the society has expanded to almost 40,000 members and has bottled whisky from over 180 distilleries.
Stckmn (pronounced stickman) is a one-man creative studio based in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by me, Chris Wilson, a multi-disciplinary designer with over 17 years experience working in the creative industry with a BA (Hons) in Product Design under my belt. Keeping things small allows me to form creative partnerships, dealing with you directly at every stage of the project, ensuring nothing is lost in translation and everything stays on track.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a global whisky club that celebrates 40 years in 2023. Since it was first established in Edinburgh in 1983 the society has expanded to almost 40,000 members and has bottled whisky from over 180 distilleries.
The Brief
To design a one-of-a-kind packaging design that would compete for attention amongst the other distillery lots, create product and hero imagery for use in the marketing materials and production of a short film capturing the making and narrative behind the concept.
Stckmn (pronounced stickman) is a one-man creative studio based in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by me, Chris Wilson, a multi-disciplinary designer with over 17 years experience working in the creative industry with a BA (Hons) in Product Design under my belt. Keeping things small allows me to form creative partnerships, dealing with you directly at every stage of the project, ensuring nothing is lost in translation and everything stays on track.
Design a one-of-a-kind packaging design that would compete for attention amongst the other distillery lots, create product and hero imagery for use in the marketing materials and production of a short film capturing the making and narrative behind the concept.
The Result
An industry first ‘The Only Drop’ is a handcrafted paper moulded sculpture that celebrates the relationship between liquid and cask. A visual narrative of the 33-year partnership that gave birth to this unique whisky.
Stckmn (pronounced stickman) is a one-man creative studio based in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by me, Chris Wilson, a multi-disciplinary designer with over 17 years experience working in the creative industry with a BA (Hons) in Product Design under my belt. Keeping things small allows me to form creative partnerships, dealing with you directly at every stage of the project, ensuring nothing is lost in translation and everything stays on track.
An industry first ‘The Only Drop’ is a handcrafted paper moulded sculpture that celebrates the relationship between liquid and cask. A visual narrative of the 33-year partnership that gave birth to this unique whisky.
The liquid itself is represented by a ripple formation that’s inspired by the unrepeatable pattern of water in nature, mirroring the layers of history and taste within the whisky itself with a single droplet representing the rarity of the release.
The liquid itself is represented by a ripple formation that’s inspired by the unrepeatable pattern of water in nature, mirroring the layers of history and taste within the whisky itself with a single droplet representing the rarity of the release.
The liquid itself is represented by a ripple formation that’s inspired by the unrepeatable pattern of water in nature, mirroring the layers of history and taste within the whisky itself with a single droplet representing the rarity of the release.
To honour the casks’ contribution to the flavour in the whisky, wood shavings from the original casks are embedded into the paper pulp sculpture. The idea being that when the sculpture is placed onto the bottle it reunites the whisky with the cask as they once were during maturation. The shavings create a natural veining across the papers surface, contrasting against the white paper pulp it resembles a marblesque, stone-like sculpture.
Using the natural tension of the pulped paper and the downward pull of gravity, the rear clasp cradles the bottle contour, securing it atop the bottle. The single droplet cut-out on the front centre of the sculpture gives a glimpse to the rare liquid within.
The society monogram revealed on the rear, framed by the sculpture, is like a medal proudly symbolising the Society's dedication to seeking out only the purest of liquids. Embossed graphics adorn each side of the sculpture commemorating the distilling and bottling dates.
To honour the casks’ contribution to the flavour in the whisky, wood shavings from the original casks are embedded into the paper pulp sculpture. The idea being that when the sculpture is placed onto the bottle it reunites the whisky with the cask as they once were during maturation. The shavings create a natural veining across the papers surface, contrasting against the white paper pulp it resembles a marblesque, stone-like sculpture.
Using the natural tension of the pulped paper and the downward pull of gravity, the rear clasp cradles the bottle contour, securing it atop the bottle. The single droplet cut-out on the front centre of the sculpture gives a glimpse to the rare liquid within.
The society monogram revealed on the rear, framed by the sculpture, is like a medal proudly symbolising the Society's dedication to seeking out only the purest of liquids. Embossed graphics adorn each side of the sculpture commemorating the distilling and bottling dates.
To honour the casks’ contribution to the flavour in the whisky, wood shavings from the original casks are embedded into the paper pulp sculpture. The idea being that when the sculpture is placed onto the bottle it reunites the whisky with the cask as they once were during maturation.
Using the natural tension of the pulped paper and the downward pull of gravity, the rear clasp cradles the bottle contour, securing it atop the bottle. The single droplet cut-out on the front centre of the sculpture gives a glimpse to the rare liquid within.
The society monogram revealed on the rear, framed by the sculpture, is like a medal proudly symbolising the Society's dedication to seeking out only the purest of liquids. Embossed graphics adorn each side of the sculpture commemorating the distilling and bottling dates.
The Bottle
The Bottle
Removing the sculpture reveals a ripple graphic on the front of the bottle to mirror that of the sculptures, created using a multi-pass raised spot UV varnish, the light and liquid refract through it creating movement. To give a nod to traditional bottling methods the cork stopper has been sealed using a wax dipping method.
To continue the theme of heroing the liquid, I sought expertise from glass decoration specialists Image On Glass. Using a combination of straight to glass print, foiled decals and varnish ripple, we were able to avoid masking the view of the whisky within as is the case with application of a traditional paper label.
By minimising the artworks dominance on the bottle the whisky can be seen clearly throughout and enables light to pass from the rear of the bottle through to the droplet cut out on the front of the paper-pulp sleeve.
In keeping with the The Scotch Malt Whisky Society's tongue in cheek style, tone of voice. There’s a line that reads 'only one dram left' on the rear base of the bottle, a sort of jovial signifier that you're coming to the end of your whisky.
Removing the sculpture reveals a ripple graphic on the front of the bottle to mirror that of the sculptures, created using a multi-pass raised spot UV varnish, the light and liquid refract through it creating movement. To give a nod to traditional bottling methods the cork stopper has been sealed using a wax dipping method.
To continue the theme of heroing the liquid, I sought expertise from glass decoration specialists Image On Glass. Using a combination of straight to glass print, foiled decals and varnish ripple, we were able to avoid masking the view of the whisky within as is the case with application of a traditional paper label.
By minimising the artworks dominance on the bottle the whisky can be seen clearly throughout and enables light to pass from the rear of the bottle through to the droplet cut out on the front of the paper-pulp sleeve.
In keeping with the The Scotch Malt Whisky Society's tongue in cheek style, tone of voice. There’s a line that reads 'only one dram left' on the rear base of the bottle, a sort of jovial signifier that you're coming to the end of your whisky.
Removing the sculpture reveals a ripple graphic on the front of the bottle to mirror that of the sculptures, created using a multi-pass raised spot UV varnish, the light and liquid refract through it creating movement. To give a nod to traditional bottling methods the cork stopper has been sealed using a wax dipping method.
To continue the theme of heroing the liquid, I sought expertise from glass decoration specialists Image On Glass. Using a combination of straight to glass print, foiled decals and varnish ripple, we were able to avoid masking the view of the whisky within as is the case with application of a traditional paper label.
By minimising the artworks dominance on the bottle the whisky can be seen clearly throughout and enables light to pass from the rear of the bottle through to the droplet cut out on the front of the paper-pulp sleeve.
In keeping with the The Scotch Malt Whisky Society's tongue in cheek style, tone of voice. There’s a line that reads 'only one dram left' on the rear base of the bottle, a sort of jovial signifier that you're coming to the end of your whisky.
The Booklet & Miniature
Accompanying the bottle is a hand-bound, hand foiled booklet that details the concept, the whiskies journey and tasting notes. Working with Glasgow based Juju Books and Caddie&Co for the production, this hand crafted piece features bespoke copper stained thread bindings and letter pressed copper embelishments that reflect design elements found on the bottle and sculpture.
A 10cl miniature was created to allow the buyer to sample the whisky. It shares the same design features as the main bottle such as hand dipped wax neck and copper foil embellishments.
Stckmn (pronounced stickman) is a one-man creative studio based in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by me, Chris Wilson, a multi-disciplinary designer with over 17 years experience working in the creative industry with a BA (Hons) in Product Design under my belt. Keeping things small allows me to form creative partnerships, dealing with you directly at every stage of the project, ensuring nothing is lost in translation and everything stays on track.
Accompanying the bottle is a hand-bound, hand foiled booklet that details the concept, the whiskies journey and tasting notes. Working with Glasgow based Juju Books and Caddie&Co for the production, this hand crafted piece features bespoke copper stained thread bindings and letter pressed copper embelishments that reflect design elements found on the bottle and sculpture.
A 10cl miniature was created to allow the buyer to sample the whisky. It shares the same design features as the main bottle such as hand dipped wax neck and copper foil embellishments.
Process
Process
Stckmn consulted with sustainable British paper innovators, James Cropper for advice on sustainable properties and paper pulp specifications and appointed industrial design agency Matter for the production of the sculptural piece. Working collaboratively with Matter we were able to apply a combination of contemporary prototyping techniques and traditional hand making to take it from ambitious concept to a reality.
Stckmn (pronounced stickman) is a one-man creative studio based in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by me, Chris Wilson, a multi-disciplinary designer with over 17 years experience working in the creative industry with a BA (Hons) in Product Design under my belt. Keeping things small allows me to form creative partnerships, dealing with you directly at every stage of the project, ensuring nothing is lost in translation and everything stays on track.
Stckmn consulted with sustainable British paper innovators, James Cropper for advice on sustainable properties and paper pulp specifications and appointed industrial design agency Matter for the production of the sculptural piece. Working collaboratively with Matter we were able to apply a combination of contemporary prototyping techniques and traditional hand making to take it from ambitious concept to a reality.
Short Film
It was important to celebrate the craft, process and people involved in the creation of The Only Drop. Stckmn played a directive role in defining the narrative for a short film (watch the film at the top of this project), that documents the story, from the concept, to production and selection of this rare liquid. Working in collaboration with video production company Wandern House the shooting for the film took place across the length and breadth of the UK, the outcome was a 6 minute short film with 1 min, 30 and 10 second condensed versions for use on social media.
Stckmn (pronounced stickman) is a one-man creative studio based in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by me, Chris Wilson, a multi-disciplinary designer with over 17 years experience working in the creative industry with a BA (Hons) in Product Design under my belt. Keeping things small allows me to form creative partnerships, dealing with you directly at every stage of the project, ensuring nothing is lost in translation and everything stays on track.
It was important to celebrate the craft, process and people involved in the creation of The Only Drop. Stckmn played a directive role in defining the narrative for a short film (watch at the top of the this project) that documents the story, from the concept, to production and selection of this rare liquid. Working in collaboration with video production company Wandern House the shooting for the film took place across the length and breadth of the UK, the outcome was a 6 minute short film with 1 min, 30 and 10 second condensed versions for use on social media.
Visuals
Visuals
In addition to the short film, still imagery was required for use in marketing materials and the auction catalogue. Working closely with 3d generalist Dan Sim a hero scene consisting of a levitating bottle, suspended above a liquid surface was created with a glass cask representing the purity of the liquid and it's separating parts mirroring those of the water ripples emanating rings. A bank of product photos were captured by Martin McCready of UpfrontPhotography with art direction and post production carried out by Stckmn.
Stckmn (pronounced stickman) is a one-man creative studio based in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by me, Chris Wilson, a multi-disciplinary designer with over 17 years experience working in the creative industry with a BA (Hons) in Product Design under my belt. Keeping things small allows me to form creative partnerships, dealing with you directly at every stage of the project, ensuring nothing is lost in translation and everything stays on track.
In addition to the short film, still imagery was required for use in marketing materials and the auction catalogue. Working closely with 3d generalist Dan Sim a hero scene consisting of a levitating bottle, suspended above a liquid surface was created with a glass cask representing the purity of the liquid and it's separating parts mirroring those of the water ripples emanating rings. A bank of product photos were captured by Martin McCready of UpfrontPhotography with art direction and post production carried out by Stckmn.
The bottle sold at auction for £18,750, contributing to the record-breaking £2.25 Million raised for charity.
The Only Drop is a handcrafted paper moulded sculpture that celebrates the relationship between liquid and cask.
The Only Drop is a handcrafted paper moulded sculpture that celebrates the relationship between liquid and cask.
The bottle sold at auction for £18,750, contributing to the record-breaking £2.25 Million raised for charity.
The Auction
The Distillers One of One auction gives whisky creators the opportunity to come together as an industry to celebrate their craft and donate a one-of-a-kind whisky to raise vital funds to help disadvantaged young people in Scotland. The Only Drop was put under the hammer by Sotheby's on October 5th 2023, a flurry of bids saw the price quickly rise, fetching 3 times the lower estimate at £18,750. A record-breaking £2.25 Million was raised at the 2023 auction, with all proceeds aiding disadvantaged youth across Scotland via Youth Action Fund.
Stckmn (pronounced stickman) is a one-man creative studio based in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by me, Chris Wilson, a multi-disciplinary designer with over 17 years experience working in the creative industry with a BA (Hons) in Product Design under my belt. Keeping things small allows me to form creative partnerships, dealing with you directly at every stage of the project, ensuring nothing is lost in translation and everything stays on track.
The Distillers One of One auction gives whisky creators the opportunity to come together as an industry to celebrate their craft and donate a one-of-a-kind whisky to raise vital funds to help disadvantaged young people in Scotland. The Only Drop was put under the hammer by Sotheby's on October 5th 2023, a flurry of bids saw the price quickly rise, fetching 3 times the lower estimate at £18,750. A record-breaking £2.25 Million was raised at the 2023 auction, with all proceeds aiding disadvantaged youth across Scotland via Youth Action Fund.
Client Comments
Rebecca Hamilton
SMWS Chief Marketing
& Experience Officer
Client Comments
Rebecca Hamilton
SMWS Chief Marketing
& Experience Officer
Client Comments
Rebecca Hamilton
SMWS Chief Marketing
& Experience Officer