1848 Apple Brandy

When the client came to us with a product that was a blend of their own Apple Brandy and aged Calvados Apple Brandy from the infamous Château du Breuil in Normandy, they wanted to use the year of the last great coming together of the Irish and French Nations.

1848 was the year that Ireland was gifted the famous green, white and gold tri-colour from the French revolutionaries that had just ousted King Louis Philippe I.

Tasked with this, we wanted to capture the Victorian era and delved into the visual style of this time in history to develop a label that is strongly illustrative of the era. Taking the two great icons of the story; from the Irish side, Thomas Francis Meagher leader of The Young Irelanders who traveled to France to receive the silk flag. And from the French side, the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, Marianne. Placing them both on neo-roman pillars surrounded with apples and sun rays, they flank the two tri-colours.

For this great historic moment we wanted no one else but Dave Rooney to illustrate. With his work in illustrating Irish history in a poignant scraper-board style it would give this great story the emphasis and craft it deserved.

Typography beneath them is also reminiscent of the Victorian era, foiled with matte gold and given the impression of being set in a structure, the date is proudly on show for all passers by to be pulled into the story which then unfolds like a newspaper left and right of the central motif.

Like an aged pamphlet or press poster, the tones are muted in order to echo a patina and aged era. The burnt effect given to one side of the label links to the revolution of both causes.

Every aspect is carefully considered, whether it’s the bottle with its stubby and robust ‘revolutionary’ feel to the label being printed on recycled apple-pulp stock, we wanted to make sure all avenues were explored.

Our challenge did not stop there. Through our own research we found for the most part that people stumbled to understand how to drink apple brandy. We urged the clients to think carefully about cocktails. For this we expressed that some should be apple brandy adaptation of current classics so that people could be more confident in understanding. From there we worked with the mixologist Ivana Maresic from Bar 1661 to develop cocktails that would have this in mind but also be in-keeping with the spirit of the concept. We worked closely with Al Higgins in capturing these.