Gordon & MacPhail has unveiled the brand for its new distillery being built in the Cairngorms National Park.
The Cairn Distillery has been named to reflect its location at the gateway to Speyside, overlooking the Cairngorm mountains. Planning permission was granted for the distillery last year and work started in July 2020. It is scheduled to open in spring 2022 and will include a visitor experience, tasting rooms, retail space and coffee shop.
As opposed to the family-owned whisky company's other distillery Benromach - positioned as a traditional brand - The Cairn is designed to occupy a more contemporary part of the market.
Gordon & MacPhail cast a wide net to find a name, enlisting the help of staff and shareholders to generate suggestions. More than 300 ideas were whittled down to a shortlist, decided against select criteria.
Ian Chapman, brands director at Gordon & MacPhail, said: "We have put the consumer right at the heart of the process of creating the brand, as we have with the design of the distillery itself. We wanted to make sure it was clearly Scottish, but easy for consumers to pronounce and spell. This will be particularly important for our international markets when English is not the first language. We also had to be mindful of Benromach, our other distillery. We wanted the new brand to complement, not compete."
He added: "The brand is eye-catching and contemporary and the approach to develop it put the consumer at the centre of our thinking. It is the same approach we have taken to designing The Cairn Distillery itself. The modern building takes advantage of the outstanding views across the River Spey to the Cairngorms and has been designed with the customer at the centre of the experience."
The Cairn Distillery has been named to reflect its location at the gateway to Speyside, overlooking the Cairngorm mountains. Planning permission was granted for the distillery last year and work started in July 2020. It is scheduled to open in spring 2022 and will include a visitor experience, tasting rooms, retail space and coffee shop.
As opposed to the family-owned whisky company's other distillery Benromach - positioned as a traditional brand - The Cairn is designed to occupy a more contemporary part of the market.
Gordon & MacPhail cast a wide net to find a name, enlisting the help of staff and shareholders to generate suggestions. More than 300 ideas were whittled down to a shortlist, decided against select criteria.
Ian Chapman, brands director at Gordon & MacPhail, said: "We have put the consumer right at the heart of the process of creating the brand, as we have with the design of the distillery itself. We wanted to make sure it was clearly Scottish, but easy for consumers to pronounce and spell. This will be particularly important for our international markets when English is not the first language. We also had to be mindful of Benromach, our other distillery. We wanted the new brand to complement, not compete."
He added: "The brand is eye-catching and contemporary and the approach to develop it put the consumer at the centre of our thinking. It is the same approach we have taken to designing The Cairn Distillery itself. The modern building takes advantage of the outstanding views across the River Spey to the Cairngorms and has been designed with the customer at the centre of the experience."
