ART STUDENT PUSHES BOUNDARIES IN TARTAN DESIGN FOR BALLANTINE’S WHISKY

Ballantine’s has unveiled a new signature brand tartan created by undergraduate textile design student Leisl Despy. The third biggest Scotch whisky in the world joined forces with Central St Martin’s College of Art and Design in London, to run a competition to design a modern tartan that epitomises the brand’s heritage and charisma.

Following a brief to fuse Ballantine’s heritage and modernity, the competition provided students with a rare opportunity to take a creative step forward in tartan design, pushing the boundaries to develop contemporary tartans unlike any currently available.

A class of final year undergraduates took part in the competition, which was judged by renowned Scottish artist Jack Vettriano, The Duke of Argyll and leading representatives of the design, fashion and lifestyle press.  The winning design, created in the Ballantine’s colours by 23-year-old Leisl Despy, successfully captured the brand’s authentic credentials and flair. The competition judges felt that the intricate but well spaced design effectively reflected the confidence and modern elegance of the Ballantine’s personality.

The winning tartan has become the Ballantine’s signature tartan and is being adapted for use on new packaging and various marketing materials, including gifts such as Ballantine’s kilts and ties. 

Winning tartans were also selected in two further categories and their designers awarded cash prizes. In the Four Elements category entries drew inspiration from the four elements key to Ballantine’s - whisky, earth, air, fire and water - whilst in the Creative Interpretation category students had the freedom to truly experiment with tartan design and colour.

Emma Calvert, winner of the Creative Interpretation category, produced a highly unusual tartan inspired by patterns she found in the structured, yet lively movement of Scottish dancing. By painting the feet of a number of Scottish dancers performing the Gay Gordon, Emma traced the complex and tight formation of their footprints which eventually became the basis for her final tartan. This winning tartan is now on display at Ballantine’s Glenburgie distillery.

Peter Moore, Chivas Brothers’ Brand Director for Ballantine’s, commented: “The new brand tartan is part of Chivas Brothers’ continued investment in the Ballantine’s brand to drive global sales. Our brand new range of marketing materials which focus on the authenticity and unique flair of Ballantine’s is in the final stages of development and will be revealed shortly.”

Ballantine’s is an elegant blended Scotch whisky that gains its unique richness of character through the perfect balance of selected quality malt and grain Scotch whiskies representative of the four corners of Scotland. The internationally acclaimed Ballantine’s range sells 5.3 million nine litre cases a year, making it the world’s third biggest whisky in volume and value terms.

The range – the most comprehensive in the world - includes Ballantine’s Finest, Ballantine’s 12YO, Ballantine’s 17YO, Ballantine’s 21YO and Ballantine’s 30YO.