Wild Turkey 101

Agency: Pearlfisher
VP Executive Creative Director: Hamish Campbell
Creative Director: Matt Sia
Head of Realization: Stephen Kwartler
Visualization Director: Justin Goode
Senior Motion Designer: Justin Sottile-Jackson
Client Director: Andrew Steigbigel
Client Manager: Abigail Mayes
Project Type: Produced
Packaging Content: Bourbon Whiskey
Location: USA

Pearlfisher makes the bird part of the bottle with bold, premium new design for Wild Turkey 101, Kentucky Straight Bourbon & Rye Whiskey

Nicknamed by his industry peers as the “Buddha of Bourbon,” Jimmy Russell is a legendary Master Distiller and currently the longest-tenured, active spirits Master Distiller across the globe. For more than 60 years, Jimmy has been crafting Wild Turkey 101 the right way – perfectly aged in American White Oak barrels with the deepest char for more character.

Marking almost a decade of partnership, Pearlfisher has had the pleasure of working directly with the Campari Group on several endeavors. Most recently the two partnered to reimagine and enhance the pack and brand visual identity for Wild Turkey 101 Kentucky Straight Bourbon & Rye Whiskey. Standing proud and true to its iconic roots, the unique new bottle design mimics the wild turkey itself, and premiumizes the perception of the brand to amplify the drinking experience of this classic flagship bourbon.

Hamish Campbell, VP Executive Creative Director at Pearlfisher New York, remarks, “For the past 8 years, we’ve had the opportunity to work across the entire Wild Turkey portfolio. This past year it was time to elevate 101 to its full ionic potential, starting on both the structural and label design from scratch to ensure that the new bottle expression matches the perception of the liquid.”

Talking through the design detail, Creative Director, Matt Sia, said, “We reimagined the shape of the traditional bourbon bottle to create a silhouette reminiscent of the Wild Turkey itself. The new bottle has an iconic presence–with refined neck detail transitioning to broad, confident shoulders. It then tapers down to a reverse curved edge, similar to the spur on a wild turkey–ending on a clear, solid base for added stature on shelf. The beautifully embossing of the Wild Turkey at the center of the bottle makes a bold new beacon for this legendary bourbon.”

Matt continued, “For the label, we optimized the Wild Turkey wordmark, championing a bold 101, which now overprints Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Our choice of natural paper with a deckled edge harkens back the brand’s attention to detail and craft. The reduced label size represents a stamp of quality, further enhanced by Jimmy Russell’s signature–a sure-fire draw for the true Bourbon connoisseur. Also, in collaboration with our Visualization team, we created a brand video along with a set of virtual brand assets. These flexible (not fixed) assets will allow for Wild Turkey to continuously develop and customize for a more engaging brand world experience across every touchpoint.”

The new-look Wild Turkey 101, Kentucky Straight Bourbon & Rye Whiskey has rolled out across the US and will be launching globally within the next year.