BrewDog spirits branding focuses on transparency

BrewDog has revealed the brand identity and logo for its first spirits venture – Lone Wolf Distillery – which communicates the group’s focus on “transparency”.

The branding of BrewDog’s Lone Wolf Spirits conveys the group’s aim to “disrupt the spirits sector”

Earlier this year, the independent brewer announced plans to make a “big impact” on the spirits industry with the opening of Lone Wolf Distillery, which will make vodka, gin and whisky.

Based inside BrewDog’s Ellon brewhouse, the distillery, previously named Granite City Craft Distillery, commenced production at the start of April under the guidance of head distiller Steven Kersley.

The group said it will become the “only craft distillery in Scotland” to make its base spirit from grain under one roof, without the use of neutral grain spirit.

Brand creation, identity and packaging firm B&B has now unveiled the new brand identity and logo for Lone Wolf, featuring a wolf’s head “distilled down to its purest geometric elements”.

B&B claims the identity has been designed to “reflect the purity of BrewDog’s products and its aim to disrupt the spirits sector” since the wolf is “an animal outside society”.

“BrewDog wants to shake up the spirits sector, just as it did with the beer category,” said Shaun Bowen, creative partner at brand creation, identity and packaging firm B&B. “BrewDog’s attitude to everything is: challenge the rules and create its own.

“BrewDog is very much about transparency and wants to bring that into the world of spirits. Our identity needed to convey that. To celebrate the ‘spirit’ and not get carried away with branding.”

He continued: “We didn’t want it to look too overly craft, instead it’s stripped back, raw and edgy. The brand and the wolf are both a bit wild. We wanted to communicate that in the design.”

B&B is also working with Lone Wolf to design packaging for its range of gin, vodka and whisky, which is set to the revealed later this year.

“The Lone Wolf identity created by B&B fits our maverick brand personality perfectly,” said James Watt, co-founder of BrewDog. “It manages to capture the craft essence of the brand, but presents it in a clean, stealthy, understated way, which will make Lone Wolf instantly recognisable.”

Last month, BrewDog revealed it had raised £19m in the fourth round of its Equity for Punks crowdfunding scheme, with some funds going towards Lone Wolf Distillery.