Bushmills Launches Oldest Irish Single Malt Whiskey

Purple Creative have created an iconic key visual to help launch the oldest Irish single malt ever released by the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery.

Bushmills 46 Year Old pays homage to the River Bush, whose water has been at the heart of the Bushmills whiskey-making tradition for over 415 years. Named ‘Secrets of the River Bush’, every drop of pure water used to make this rare whiskey was drawn from Saint Columb’s Rill, the river’s tributary, into The Old Bushmills Distillery.

The whiskey is housed in a beautifully crafted hexagonal walnut presentation box, designed by Studio Minerva, the layered wooden marquetry depicting the rolling contours of the unique topography which surrounds the distillery.

“This exceptional Irish single malt is a tribute to Bushmills’ rich heritage, its unique water source and the distinctive landscape of the local area that shapes it. Capturing the essence of our story since 1608, we wanted every detail, from the box to the visual, to exemplify its elevated luxury stature” said Bronagh Jennings, global brand manager, Proximo.

For the key visual, Purple brought the packaging to life on an epic scale with the help of photographer Ted Humble-Smith. By crafting and recreating the flowing topographic shapes as a 3D version of the outer box made from thick layers of oak, each contoured layer added a sense of depth and time passing. It provided the perfect oversized backdrop to the bottle beauty image.

On the final communication, the headline ‘Decades Flowing, Legacy Unfolding’ captures the epic and luxury nature of the single malt, and the legacy it’s leaving for the distillery and the town of Bushmills.

“We wanted to honour the stunning 46 Year Old packaging without simply showing an image of the outer packaging next to a bottle, which is what a lot of brands do. Together with Ted, we carefully recreated the topographic story in wood, every detail finely crafted and thought through. I hope all that care shows in the final evocative image, the subtle light source adding depth and highlights to every beautiful detail.” said Steve Bewick, creative director, Purple.

Purple also created the inspirational launch toolkit, complete with plug-and-play assets for global markets to use.

The Bushmills 46 Year Old was launched in March 2025, joining the some of the oldest and rarest whiskeys ever released in the Bushmills Prestige Collection.