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With many whisky distilleries looking to premiumise their brands, two Scottish distilleries from the Isle of Orkney revealed their new identities in October 2024: Highland Park and Scapa, the latter of which also introduced a new core line.
Let's take a look at how the brands have reinvented themselves.
Highland Park
Since its launch in the 1970s, Highland Park single malt made in the Isle of Orkney has been known for its black label. From the green-tinted bottle when it was first introduced to the orange and black 'sunset' label in the early 2000s, black has always been present in the branding, not to mention the Viking theme that became the brand's signature association since its rebranding in 2007.
In 2017, Highland Park introduced its eye-catching bottle shape, a decorative raised pattern, and names like 'Viking Honour'. With a long history of using black and the Viking theme, it might seem like an odd move, but after all these years, the brand has decided to step away from its most well-known asset.
The new brand identity, toned-down label, and bottle for Highland Park were revealed on 16 October 2024. The move towards a more 'colourful' label has been known to some since last year, but choosing to adopt the now-so-common white label was somewhat bold. Considering the brand has always been associated with black colour, the premiumisation of Highland Park can be seen as blending with the trend.
Image by The Whisky Ardvark
When compared to the rebranding in 2017, the new bottle removes the more intricate bottle and moves away from Viking heritage. This leaves one to wonder if the branding was a financial move since white labels are known to be less expensive, and of course, so are smooth bottles.
The rebranding comes only months after owner Edrington announced the sale of its blended portfolio: The Famous Grouse and Naked Malt. With the owner's focus now on premium malts, including Macallan, the new look can be seen as better suited for the single malt portfolio.
The new retail line includes 12, 15, and 18-year-old expressions. The newly revealed 'clean and contemporary' earthy-coloured labels have stayed in the same price brackets. For travel retail, Highland Park unveiled its updated 14, 16, and 18-year-old single malts, most likely inspired by how the sea/sky looks at different times of the day.
The new branding will be rolled out across the core range in October.
Images by Highland Park/ Edrington
Scapa
Scapa as a single malt has long been officially unofficially bottled by Gordon & MacPhail. Bottled since 2000 by the distillery as a single malt, the brand was taken over by Chivas Brothers in 2005 after a turbulent 1990s. Introduced in 2008, The Orcadian 16-year-old single malt was discontinued in around 2015 with last bottles hitting the shelves in 2016, to make way for a new core line. However, the whisky never really managed to gain a considerable following.
Image by The Whisky Ardvark
In 2015, Chivas gave the brand a new opportunity by successfully launching a non-age statement, Scapa Skiren. A year later, peated Glansa was launched, which was also relatively well received.
The new core line, with a new bottle design and label, was announced on 22 October 2024. For the first time since the distillery was established in 1885, Scapa is offering not one but three age-statement expressions. Available globally from mid-November this year, the new range includes 10-, 16-, and 21-year-old single malts.
Unlike Highland Park, Scapa has definitely designed the new look to stand out and be more attractive to consumers. Ditching the long bottle and introducing a dumpy bottle with a wave on its neck, the new design can be seen as an excellent move for Scapa. The brand - named after the old Nordic dialect word for ‘boat’ - pays homage to the distillery's coastal surroundings with its boat icon and blue-shaded shiny colours.
Both the new 10 and 16-year-old expressions are offered at 48% ABV and retail for €60 (US$65/£50) and €120 (US$130/£100) respectively. The 21-year-old is bottled at cask strength and retails for €300 (US$324/£250).
Image by Scapa/ Chivas Brothers
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