Award-winning British furniture designer, Bethan Gray invited Hand Built Films to make a film capturing the designing and making of bottle and cannister for Vintage 1967. The third addition to The Glenlivet Winchester Collection of limited-edition 50-year-old single malt was also their first collaboration with an external designer.
Bethan’s grandfather was a research forester in the Cairngorms, home of The Glenlivet, giving her a direct connection to the area. She explored the natural landscape surrounding the distillery with Alan Winchester and created a unique reinterpretation of her distinctive Dhow pattern for the project. The hand-stained birds-eye maple and solid copper inlay reflect the charred barrels and copper stills used by The Glenlivet in the whisky-making process.
Bethan worked with a local glassblower for the bottle and master craftsman Mohammad Reza Shamsian and his Muscat-based artisans – who also make her Dhow Collection – for the cannister.
Nick spent time with Bethan in her London studio and travelled with the team to Scotland and Oman, quickly getting to the heart of the project as well as undercovering the key moments of the making process that proved crucial in telling its story. By working closely with Bethan, Alan and the wider team, and through his empathy for the creative process, he was able to co-create a film with them that tells the story of this unique collaboration in a way that has captivated audiences.
By inviting viewers ‘behind the scenes’ of both the whisky making process and the creative process that led to the bottle and cannister design, the film offers them a unique insight into the journey, kinships and narratives behind the product – in three short minutes communicating Bethan Gray’s brand values in a way that engages and inspires in equal measure. At a time when designers’ audiences are increasingly engaging via screens, rather than face-to-face, this genuine human connection has never been more important.