Highland Park tacks up for Year of the Horse
Edrington-owned Highland Park has partnered with creative studio Butterfly Cannon to create limited edition Lunar New Year boxes for its core whiskies.
To celebrate the Year of the Horse, Highland Park has dressed up its 12-, 15-, and 18-year-old single malts with packaging that ‘comes alive’ when slid open.
With the limited edition boxes, Butterfly Cannon aimed to convey the elemental character of the brand’s home, the island of Orkney.
Inspired by the island’s powerful winds and constantly shifting skies, the design aims to bring a sense of motion into the whisky packaging.
The creative team created a fully plastic-free, paper-based solution. The outer pack features a double-layer, laser-cut design and a sliding, side-opening structure that reveals sequential animation frames as the pack opens, bringing the horse to life in a tactile experience.
Thomas Lacey, creative director at Butterfly Cannon, said: “This project was about creating movement, emotion and meaning – not just decoration. The Fire Horse is already such a powerful symbol, so we wanted to honour that energy in a way that felt true to Highland Park, and its wind-swept Orkney home.
“We took this idea and used one of the oldest forms of animation, called a Moiré effect, creating a pack that comes alive in your hands. It was fun to approach this challenge with a clear ‘plastic-free’ remit from the client and us.”
To complete the launch, Butterfly Cannon developed campaign assets that showcase the animated packs and the Year of the Horse celebration across advertising and retail touchpoints.
The design is available for a limited time in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore across Highland Park’s core range: the 12-year-old in purple, 15-year-old in sunset orange, and 18-year-old in red.
Linda Song, regional senior marketing manager at Edrington, added: “Butterfly Cannon has captured Highland Park’s ethos, our unique Orkney home and the essence of the Fire Horse in a way that feels contemporary and engaging. It’s a pack designed not just to be seen, but to be experienced.”
Earlier this year, Highland Park launched a limited edition cask strength single malt, Heather, made with 100% Orkney peat-smoked barley.
Last year, the brand released its oldest single malt to date: a 56-year-old, priced at £40,000 (US$49,437).
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