Pearlfisher Masters a Perfect Blend of Cultural Collaboration for New Legent Branding

Pearlfisher announced its partnership with Beam Suntory in the creation of Legent – a unique bourbon that brings together the best of the East and West in a way no other whiskey producer can.

A first-of-its-kind, Legent (pronounced ‘lee-jent’) is a unique innovation that starts as a Kentucky Straight Bourbon with the Beam classic family recipe and is aged in wine and sherry casks before being blended with more Kentucky Straight Bourbon, resulting in a perfectly balanced yet complex and layered whiskey that is truly extraordinary.

At its heart, Legent celebrates mastery and collaboration. The super-premium bourbon is expertly distilled by Fred Noe, seventh-generation Master Distiller of Jim Beam, bourbon’s pioneering family, and artfully blended by Shinji Fukuyo, fifth-ever Chief Blender of Suntory, the founding house of Japanese whisky.

Pearlfisher was challenged with conceptualising a visual identity and packaging design to reflect the unique nature of this special and unique innovation.

Kristoffer Fink Parup, Head of Strategy at Pearlfisher, said: “Our opportunity was to tell the story of two legends of the whiskey world working together to create something special. We needed to honour the specific whiskey traditions, expertise and the enrichment of their cultures through this inspiring and progressive collaboration of a truly special bourbon. ”

Jonathan Ford, Founding Creative Partner & CEO of Pearlfisher, commented: “We needed to dial up and evoke all elements of this unique blend and its special story of creation. The red mark defines the two worlds coming together and the hand-painted brush stroke – created by the Japanese calligrapher, Keiko Shimoda – on the front of the bottle incorporates the faces of the two whiskey legends. As you run your eye around the bottle, you will see both Fred and Shinji’s signatures, establishing authenticity and lending a discoverable element to the design.”

The smoothness of the glass bottle – with its softened edges – reflects the rounded nature of the bourbon, which is also represented in the softened edges of the brand’s typography. Definitive gold and white lettering is used to stand out and evoke a premium and American and Japanese aesthetic.

Legent has first hit the United States market during a time of strong whiskey category growth in North America and will roll out to other countries later this year. The highly versatile bourbon is best enjoyed neat, on the rocks or in a classic or new-age bourbon cocktail. Legent is available in 750mL (47% abv / 94 proof) in select markets throughout the United States for a suggested retail price of $34.99 USD.

“We are extremely excited to launch a premium bourbon that’s truly unique and innovative,” said James Devlin, Senior Innovation Director for Beam Suntory. “Pearlfisher was an outstanding partner in helping us to bring to life this new brand with a focus on honouring Fred and the Beam family’s proud traditions while showcasing Shinji’s award-winning blending capabilities.”

Source: Pearlfisher

  Alcohol, Beam Suntory, Beverage, Bourbon, Branding, Cultural Collaboration, Design, Legent, Marketing, Packaging, Pearlfisher, USA