To celebrate Lunar New Year and the arrival of the Year of the Fire Horse, Highland Park has partnered with creative studio Butterfly Cannon to create a striking limited-edition release, designed to capture the attention of affluent millennial whisky drinkers. Rooted in Highland Park’s wind-swept Orkney home, the design transforms the pack into an experience that literally comes alive in the hand.
The Fire Horse symbolises passion, creativity and transformation, qualities that sit naturally with Highland Park and its bold, progressive ‘Different by Nature’ spirit. Butterfly Cannon set out to express this through the raw, elemental character of Orkney itself. Inspired by the island’s powerful winds and ever-changing skies, the design introduces a sense of motion rarely seen in whisky packaging.
At the heart of the concept sits a horse at full gallop, already rich with energy and momentum. Butterfly Cannon extended this sense of motion into the pack, rethinking lenticular effects – typically reliant on plastic, through a more considered, sustainable lens.
The team developed a completely plastic-free, paper-based solution. A double-layer, laser-cut outer pack and sliding, side-opening structure reveal sequential frames of animation as the pack is opened, animating the horse in a tactile, engaging moment.
Thomas Lacey, Creative Director at Butterfly Cannon: “This project was about creating movement, emotion and meaning – not just decoration. The Fire Horse is already such a powerful symbol, so we wanted to honour that energy in a way that felt true to Highland Park, and it’s wind-swept Orkney Home. We took this idea and used one of the oldest forms of animation, called a Moire effect, creating a pack that comes alive in your hands. It was fun to approach this challenge with a clear ‘plastic-free’ remit from us and the client.”
Rich gradients sweep across the packs, with deep purples for the 12-Year-Old, warm sunset oranges for the 15-Year-Old, and fiery reds for the 18-Year-Old.
To complete the launch, Butterfly Cannon also developed campaign assets that hero the animated packs, extending the sense of motion and celebration across advertising and retail touchpoints.
Linda Song, Regional Senior Marketing Manager at Edrington, adds: “Butterfly Cannon has captured Highland Park’s ethos, our unique Orkney home and the essence of the Fire Horse in a way that feels contemporary and engaging. It’s a pack designed not just to be seen, but to be experienced.”
The Highland Park – Year of the Fire Horse Limited Edition collection is available now in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore
Source: Butterfly Cannon
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