Developing a taste for history, one sip at a time
Branding & Social Media Storytelling
When the founders of Kinnitty Castle Spirits came together in 2015 to purchase a historic castle set in the Irish hills, they knew they were on to something. Kinnitty would be the only Irish whiskey crafted in a castle and the branding would need to reflect this. Plus, the building has a rich history dating back to 1209 and the land has been home to a monastery plus many generations of families who have inhabited its halls.
With such a unique history, the brand’s social media needed to be distilled into something that honored its legacy, but clearly communicated its modern approach. The runway was wide open for MP&F to craft a story unlike any other, and the ideas started flowing.
Very quickly, one of the castle’s many characters stood out to us. Sitting proudly on Kinnitty Castle’s whiskey label, the Dapper Skeleton portrayed a haunted figure from within the walls of the castle – but one that you’d like to enjoy a drink with. The Dapper Skeleton provided a clear building block for our team to develop further. We embraced the smoky, warm appeal of whiskey and the character himself, and engrained it into our work.
Irish lore lent itself to rich worlds with more characters, and we wanted Kinnitty’s audience to have fun with the brand. Afterall, it is whiskey.
For the lighter, botanical gin, we created the garden fairy, a character that embodied the seasonality of summer and promotes the brand’s newest product online.
We took to social media to amplify the Irish history behind Kinnitty Castle’s products. And the results started pouring in. With a strategy based in character storytelling, we saw results reaching nearly 6x of previous engagement metrics. Funny enough, the undead characters were working to bring the brand to life.
And, for arguably the biggest day of the year, our team helped Kinnitty celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in style.
