Two partners – a bourbon industry titan and the youngest ever bourbon Master Distiller – came to us with a proposition: to name and brand a revolutionary idea that they’d been formulating for years. The enterprise was straightforward but impressive: to create a fully outfitted bourbon operation that lets individuals source, craft, name, design, and market their own personalized bourbon. A one-stop-heaven for bourbon aficionados.

Naming a new entity is fun, but carries a lot of weight. We spent weeks in market research and strategy, in workshops with the client, and studying up on the history of the location for their production site. It was important for the owners to reflect the heritage of the place and people.

The new name: Eastern Light Distillery, paid homage to all of that and more. It offered exciting opportunity to create distinct visuals inspired by how the sun crests the Eastern Kentucky hills and peaks through the now-iconic windows of their newly-constructed distillery. 

With the vision and name was set, we produced a full brand package. The final elements highlight the distinct shape of their distillery and the light spilling out over the implied hill - all calling to their vision to ‘illuminate a new era of Kentucky Bourbon’.