James Cropper and Bruichladdich Continue Partnership with New Paper Wrap

Following the success of James Cropper’s partnership with Islay single malt Scotch whisky brand Bruichladdich, bringing the first of its Luxury Redefined range to market with a fully sustainable outer wrap, the papermaker has created the next instalment for the brand’s new Global Travel Retail (GTR) range – The Bruichladdich Twenty One.  

Available in London Heathrow, Dubai Airport and Singapore Airport from the end of June, The Bruichladdich Twenty One whisky wrap is made from fully recyclable paper pulp and molded to the shape of the Bruichladdich optimized, proprietary glass bottle. The brief given to James Cropper was to create conscious, modern, luxury packaging. 

Similar in design to The Bruichladdich Eighteen and The Bruichladdich Thirty, which launched earlier this year, The Bruichladdich Twenty One wrap is custom in color and shape with unique emboss and deboss features, the design also includes a branded, oversized custom clasp feature. Using 100% fresh fiber, the wrap is significantly lighter than previous packaging solutions without compromising strength or integrity while significantly reducing Bruichladdich’s packaging CO2 impact.  

With color as a core competency of James Cropper, the papermaker’s on-site color lab offers the capability and the technology to produce or recreate any color. Being able to create 184 shades of black to 62 shades of white – and everything in between - James Cropper was tasked with creating a bespoke color which still spoke to the wider Bruichladdich range and the brand’s signature aqua hue.  

Using the team’s skill and know-how, they worked to overcome metamerism - when two colors that are not the same color appear identical under certain lighting conditions. The color match process went through several iterations over a number of years, before the team got to the final Bruichladdich Green shade. Once the color was agreed it was taken to the color lab in the James Cropper mill and transferred onto molded fiber. 

Natalia Williams, Product Manager at James Cropper, says: “Matching the color was a challenge because we had to consider the particular fiber mix. Color and fiber are inter-related and influence each other, which impacts the translation factor. Think of a cake recipe, you must follow the recipe. Here we needed to produce a recipe which gave us the ability to counteract the variation in the other raw materials and control the final color. 

“Our 179 years of color application in papermaking means we can apply our understanding of the chemistry into today’s design briefs, using molded fiber. We are pushing the boundaries in terms of what is possible in colored molded fiber.” 

The wrap is created using 100% green energy and the wood pulp used in its creation is sourced from sustainably managed forests, certified to FSC® or PEFC® standards. Brought to life using a single material with no glue, the packaging is 100% recyclable in every household.  

Gareth Brown, Global Marketing Director at Bruichladdich Distillery, said: “Partnering with James Cropper on our Luxury Redefined packaging has been a natural fit. The company’s commitment to progress, innovation and sustainability aligns perfectly with our distillery values.   

“Like our entire Luxury Redefined range, The Bruichladdich Twenty One demonstrates that sustainable packaging can be simultaneously stripped back and beautiful. Rather than adding elaborate packaging or unnecessary weight we have chosen to subtract, letting form follow function to rethink what modern luxury can, and should, be.  

“Everything about this GTR exclusive - from the weight and functional design of the glass bottle to the recyclable materials, custom color, and texture of the outer wrap - has been carefully considered by the team at James Cropper to ensure that our new single malt whisky expression exudes contemporary luxury, while staying true to our values.” 

Chevonne Irving, Technical Specialist at James Cropper, concludes: "This collaboration demonstrates our leadership in crafting packaging that seamlessly blends sustainability with aesthetic appeal. We meticulously crafted every aspect of the design, from the choice of lightweight materials to the intricate embossing and vibrant color, enhancing the overall experience for travel retail consumers."