Autograph Gin: Distilling Something Different

This rich, colourful history is the inspiration behind the striking packaging design of Autograph Gin designed by Brandt Botes, award winning creative director of design at Old Friend Young Talent.

“We wanted to come up with an usual way of packaging gin, says Botes”. “On the local and global stage, the gin market is saturated with a multitude of craft variations. Provenance in this category is extremely hard to achieve. “So, for us we needed to find a way to differentiate Autograph Gin in an already oversaturated category.”

Inside the main brand expression - the letter ‘A’ on the packaging - the international history over 1000 years of gin is depicted, explaining that Autograph embodies the timeless tradition encapsulating years of passion, inspiration and discovery. All these learnings accumulating is what is the signature of gin – Autograph Gin.

“Another key component of getting everything off the ground was the production of the packaging, says Botes”. “I really took this on board from the production point of view and knew exactly how crafted the final product needed to be – from local bespoke local printers to bottle cores produced in China to glass bottles from France and the cork from Portugal”.

“We couldn’t find any stoppers that we liked, so I designed our own. Wood was sourced and turned, and after a few prototypes we landed the final design. We opted for American Oak which has been left untreated. The grain and laser engraving on the top varies a little on each one and gives it that handmade feel - it’s quite bespoke and detailed.”

Even the smallest element of this project was a process thought about, which is in keeping with the spirit in which Autograph Gin was conceived and is produced. Perfection distilled.