Hard Working Beavers Enjoy a Hard Earned Whisky in the Woodsman Whisky Spot

Mr. President has created the first major TV campaign for contemporary Blended Scotch brand The Woodsman Whisky, owned by Scottish drinks company Whyte & Mackay.  

The idea for the campaign is to position The Woodsman Whisky as a drink that is ‘well earned’ and celebrates the woodcraft at the heart of the product, matured using a mix of freshly-built oak casks and ex-Bourbon barrels double-scorched for extra depth. 

To bring this to life, Mr. President decided there was no better mascot for the brand than the hardest-working wood chopper in the forest - the common beaver. 

The ad follows a group of long-toothed beavers in their natural habitat as they roll their sleeves up and get to work, chopping down trees, gnawing on bark, carrying planks and hammering nails. 

As beaver brows are mopped we see a bottle of The Woodsman Whisky being poured, to celebrate what they’ve been beavering away on - a steaming, bubbling riverside hot tub. 

The beaver leader then raises a well-earned glass of The Woodsman Whisky as the other beavers enjoy a rewarding soak in the bubbles. 

The TV campaign was directed by John Riche through Untold Studios and filmed in the quiet mountain village of Govedartsi in Bulgaria. Instead of using CGI footage, Mr. President opted to work with specially crafted puppets, with the action led by puppeteer expert Alexander Berchert. The animals were created by British model maker Jonathan Saville. 

The TV campaign will be supported by VOD, social and online. 

Steven Pearson, marketing director, Whyte & Mackay says, “The Woodsman has experienced strong growth since launch in the UK and with a strong growth ambition we needed an impactful campaign that stands out in a category full of craft cliches and authenticity tropes. We’re incredibly proud of this distinctive creative and look forward to seeing the beavers out in the wild."

ECD and partner of Mr. President, Jon Gledstone, says, “You don’t just drink The Woodsman Whiskey. You earn it. So when it came to finding the perfect mascot to reward life’s doers, there was only one choice - nature’s knuckle-down doer, the metaphorical sleeve-roller upper - the beaver. So it was an honour to spend time in the forest as we captured Barry and his band of busy beaver brothers beavering away in the wild - before doing what all doers do when they’re done doing.” 

The Woodsman Whisky joined the Whyte & Mackay portfolio back in 2018 as a contemporary scotch perfect for mixing and making cocktails. A mix of fresh built oak casks, and double-scorched Bourbon barrels give The Woodsman its smooth finish of vanilla with a hint of woodsmoke.