Bushmills Irish Whiskey's Beautiful Spot Pursues the Perfect Moment

Bushmills Irish Whiskey and creative agency Havas Village Dublin launch ‘Pursuing Perfection’, their new global campaign, directed by Tom Green through production company Stink Films. Airing in Germany and Bulgaria in the first week of November, to be rolled out across first across European markets, the 60 second TVC is part of an integrated, multi-channel campaign promoting the brand’s malt and blend (Black Bush) products. 

Bushmills is the oldest licensed distillery in the world, drawing its water from the River Bush in County Antrim for over four hundred years. This heritage, combined with a long history of innovation, inspired Bushmills’ new brand line, ‘Pursuing Perfection Since 1608’. 

There is a saying at Bushmills “We’re not good because we’re old; we’re old because we’re good”. In other words, the key to longevity is our ongoing pursuit of the perfect whiskey. Part of this success can be attributed to Bushmills’ roots on the North Antrim coast, beside the Giants’ Causeway. It’s to this rugged landscape, an area of outstanding beauty, that the audience are transported in ‘Pursuing Perfection’, as our protagonist ‘Rory’ makes his homecoming. 

With Bushmills now in steady growth, led by its iconic single malt whiskeys, the production and release of ‘Pursuing Perfection’ represents a major milestone for us. We are delighted with the production and confident that it will reach and connect Bushmills to consumers in our key markets on a deep. emotional level. 

Adrian Fitz-Simon, creative director, Havas said, “When we first started working with Bushmills, we quickly understood two key things: how seriously they take their whiskey making and how deeply their roots are embedded in the surrounding landscape. We wanted to capture the essence of Bushmills’ ongoing pursuit of perfection through the analogy of one person’s deep connection to the Antrim coastline and those who inhabit it.”

Our central character returns home to reconnect with family and friends, joins the thriving surf culture on the North Antrim Coast and so begins his pursuit of perfection. The passing of time is documented in a subtle changing of seasons, while the stuff of life – friends, relationships, work and play - begin to improve along with his surfing prowess. We love that it is finally the pursuit, rather than perfection itself, that is the message – conveyed with an understated confidence that fits so well for the brand. The resulting film is a testament to the art of collaboration and to the pursuit of perfection itself. 

“Telling the story of a person’s life in a snapshot felt like an opportunity to create a deeply emotive film. I wanted to bring a very strong sense of narrative but one which remained fully open to interpretation, that would hopefully create a bit more mystery for audiences to take their own meaning from. It felt like the story could have more cinematic scale that way.” said Tom Green, director, Stink Films. Green added “The dramatic black rocks and wild landscapes of the north coast felt like a character all of their own. I wanted the imagery to connect to the earth and brooding quality of the place and feel as elemental as the weather systems that the surfers endure; the surfers are tough there, the waves are big in the winter. It felt right to have the character work the land that is so synonymous with Bushmills. I have tried to reflect the brutality and spirituality of that life. I was incredibly fortunate to be able to work with a film worthy cast in Rory Fleck Byrne and supporting actors, as well the real surfers of that coastline. It has been an immersive process and I hope the passion of everyone involved making it somehow exists beyond the film itself.”