Glock and Dewar’s announce new immersive distillery experience

Creative studio Glock has revealed the full design of progressive Scotch whisky brand Dewar’s and single malt whisky Aberfeldy’s immersive experience, housed at their historic brand home in the Scottish Highlands.

A project two years in the making and following a long-standing creative partnership between Glock and Dewar’s, the immersive new distillery experience provides a modern and innovative experience that aims to educate and entertain whisky lovers of all ages – from the most seasoned connoisseurs to the keenest novices.

Carsten Glock, Founder of Glock says: “In keeping with their pioneering spirit, Dewar’s asked us to create an experience that would explode category conventions and make whisky feel accessible – without sacrificing its premium nature. For us, this meant capturing the progressive ethos of Dewar’s through experimentation and discovery, using cutting edge technology and human presence to illustrate this premium brand in an authentic way.”

As specialists in drinks brand design and with more than a decade of experience working with Dewar’s, Glock knew well how to make this distillery experience stand out from their competitors and how they could best demonstrate the brand’s exquisite 177-year history.

Across three rooms, they have created an environment that immerses guests in the brand worlds of both Aberfeldy and Dewar’s, whilst educating on their unique production and liquid story. Guests can now come away from the experience with the understanding that the distillery creates both Aberfeldy as a single malt whisky and Dewar’s as a blended whisky, and the key differences and benefits of each through a stunning and high tech reimagining of the brand’s long-standing assets and characteristics.

Bea Gwynn, Senior Project Manager at Glock, says: “Although modernisation and innovation plays a massive part in the Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery, we really wanted to keep the experience authentic and true to its heritage. The building has been used by Dewar’s for over 125 years, so we needed to amplify that history and make it tangible through real assets that are heightened through interactivity and ‘wow’ moments that will stay with the guests when they leave.”

Visitors start the tour with Aberfeldy in a richly textured space that illustrates and explains the journey the whisky goes on to create the unique flavours and smoothness it’s renowned for. The experiences in this part of the tour highlight the lengthy process and level of craftsmanship that goes into creating the liquid and the finishes implemented to create the unique flavours.

Atmospheric projections transport visitors inside a whisky barrel as they enter, and a time-advancing simulation shows how the whisky ages, while the Angel’s Share discovery moment brings both an emotional connection and deepens knowledge of the process.

From there, guests move into the first of two Dewar’s spaces to learn more about their blended whisky in a Blender’s Room. An education into the art of blending is delivered by the world’s best master blender Stephanie Macleod, through state-of-the-art projection mapping. Atmospheric lighting around the room highlights key moments throughout the whisky making process. This front row seat into the mind of the six-time Master Blender of the Year gives guests an unrivalled look into how she and her team creates the smoothness, consistency and quality of each whisky as she weaves together different tasting notes, styles and ages in perfect harmony.

Visitors then move through to a personalised experience where they can explore which product from the Dewar’s range is most suited to their tastes before finally, a tutored tasting room allows them to try their new perfect dram. By reintroducing the human touch to these rooms, guests see just how much care and expertise goes into the Aberfeldy and Dewar’s whiskies, how they differ and why those differences matter.

Carsten concludes: “Just as we wanted visitors to go on a journey of discovery, we have covered a lot of new ground as an agency, too. Dewar’s willingness to push whisky conventions and allow us to explore innovative ways of communicating their rich history has been a joy to work with, and we’re proud to have played a part for their future.”