Sipsmith Gin Introduces 'Mr. Swan' in Beautiful Wes Anderson-Esque Animation

Today, Sipsmith launches its most ambitious campaign in its 10-year history, bringing to life the Sipsmith brand story, celebrating its passion and its uncompromising commitment to crafting the very best London Dry Gin, through a beautiful stop motion animation film, developed by Ogilvy UK.

Sipsmith, founded by two childhood friends, Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall, fought to overturn a law that enabled them to found the first small batch gin distillery in London in nearly 200 years, and as a result pioneered the gin renaissance.

The new campaign follows the process of making Sipsmith London Dry Gin, through the lens of the charming Mr. Swan, an animated character who leads us through the distilling journey that takes place at the Sipsmith distillery in London, the birthplace of gin. 

From using the finest junipers, to the distillation process where only the best of the liquid is taken, to hand dipping the bottle top in wax, the film shows that no shortcuts are taken in the pursuit of making a better quality gin by the passionate team of distillers.

Kate Moorcroft, global marketing director, Sipsmith said: “We are delighted to bring the Sipsmith story to our audience, in this way for the first time, through the wonderful world of Mr. Swan. Stop motion animation felt like the perfect way to tell the Sipsmith story as the skilled craftsmanship behind the creation of the film (with no detail overlooked, however small) resonated with our commitment to handcrafting Sipsmith Gin, making sure no corners are cut and no compromises are made.”

Every detail of the campaign was carefully considered replicating the distillery and distillation process itself, from recreating the beautiful copper stills to hand dipping the miniature bottles in wax; even the inside pocket of Mr. Swan’s suit is handstitched, never to be seen by viewers but illustrates the celebration of craft and commitment to things done properly at Sipsmith.

The whole piece of work was a true partnership between agency, production and the Sipsmith team – from determining the tone of Mr. Swan, voiced by British comedian Julian Barratt, to engaging with the best of British talent in this craft – many of whom were members of Wes Anderson’s art department, who worked on Isle of Dogs and Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Jules Chalkley, chief ECD at Ogilvy UK, explains: “The more we delved into the rich story of Sipsmith gin, the more we understood they don’t do what’s easy; they do what produces the best gin they can make. We played with a number of ideas on how to bring the brand to life – but nothing felt quite right until the ideation of Mr. Swan and the stop-motion concept came about with director Jeff Low. From there, everything began to fall into place.

It’s been a true pleasure to work with Sipsmith to make the brand ethos come to life. It was an amazing collaboration to bring the humour, inventiveness and distinct voice to this film. There are so many quirks and intricacies to the work, which come together in a way which showcases the best of craft.”

The campaign goes live across cinema, TVC and social channels from April.