DATING A NEW WHISKY BY BRENNE
CONCEPTOR & COPYWRITER
Meeting a compatible whisky that gets you

Discover: Dating a New Whisky was developed for Thrillist and Brenne Whisky with the objective theme of “discovering tradition” for a whisky brand.  

Define: To introduce audiences to that special whisky brand they've always wanted to meet but didn't know it, I utilized well-known dating, matchmaking and romantic narratives

Develop: This playful device is part of the creative aspect in the differentiating principle giving readers a familiar yet unique way to understand Brenne, their distilling process (chemistry), their master distiller (the parents), and its origins (hometown and baby photos).

Delivery: Seeing this whisky brand through a new and informative lens, our audience feels the possibility of that thrill with a new whisky.

See Sample Concept Below. 

CONCEPT 

DATING A NEW WHISKY
Brenne Whisky

The kind of person who drinks Brenne Whisky gets excited to try new things and have new experiences. These experiences come from somewhere. Falling in love for the first time is an exciting process, but isn’t that as true for anything as it is anyone? The thrill of a first date, what you feel is unmatched, time stops and anything seems possible. And just as we realize we want more, to be with one another more, we also realize the magic comes from somewhere. Details that seemed boring before are now exciting, even fun. It’s never too late to date, to feel the possibility of that thrill with a new whisky.

And just like each whisky has its own unique flavor profile—for example, the smoky scotch, the creamy bourbon, and the spicy rye—all whiskies share certain things in common. They start out as barley, corn, or rye seeds, eventually harvested and finally distilled. In between and at each of the stages of this process, though, certain other factors enter in over which the whisky producer has a certain amount of control—where the seeds are planted, what other crops share the soil, what type of fertilizer is used, how the alcohol is distilled, and for how long and in what type of barrel casks it is aged. These are, in many ways, analogous to the decisions parents make when raising a child—where he will attend school, how he will be dressed, what extracurricular activities will he engage in. These are the factors that inform our personalities.

This 3-article series explores how the analogous decisions shape the character of different whiskies by illustrating the factors relevant to a single whisky, Brenne. It does this in a fun, irreverent way: by using the framework of the milestones of dating—the first date, the conversation, and the first kiss. Who doesn’t want to meet, or remember what it meant, to fall in love with a new and interesting person? This series of articles introduces the reader to a whisky new to the market, Brenne, a personality whose natural masculinity (being whisky) is balanced by a subtle femininity (being fruit forward) with a distinguished pedigree (made from organic, heirloom barley).

 I. The First Date: The Taste of Terroir
This article introduces the reader to the concept of terroir through Brenne using common first date tropes, in particular the “origin story” that occupies much of a first date. “Terroir” is French for “land.” In many ways, this parallels the dating landscape and how you find the “right one.” More specifically, the term terroir refers to the set of all environmental factors impacting a crops character or personality. Traditionally terroir is only associated with a small group of crops such as wine, coffee and tea. All crops, however, have terroir. In this article, we introduce the reader to the idea of terroir and its impact on the final product. We’ll cover how to taste terroir and what that means as you consider taking your whisky to the next level.

At the heart of this idea, our analogy between personalities and terroir makes what is often pretentious approachable. Some things relevant to Brenne include its being made in the heart of Cognac, a region rich in terroir tradition, and the type of barley used (a blend of two organic heirloom varieties). Since this is a relatively new whisky from France, this piece focuses on lowering those potential barriers of entry to a domestic market in an attractive yet familiar way.

II. The Conversation: The Science of Attraction
Perhaps nothing in dating is more critical than chemistry. Something as simple as conversation often reveals the attraction. This article continues the dating motif by introducing the reader to Alison Patel, the producer of Brenne Whisky. We’ll learn story of the birth of Brenne, Alison’s relationship with it and the decisions she made in producing it. We’ll also look at what makes our chemistry with Brenne so strong (pictures of the distillery and barley fields), and ask about her hopes, dreams and anxiety for the future.

III. The First Kiss:
In the third and final article, the reader will be brought to the brink of that magical moment which is the culmination of a new relationship: the first kiss (the first sip of whisky). The reader won’t actually get that first kiss (because they are only reading) but will by this point feel the anticipation that accompanies the moment before the first kiss. What happens? Here we get into building excitement in the small things. Similar to what your date is wearing, the plan for the night and what all that means, we’ll look at the processes that go into making Brenne exciting. For example, it’s twice distilled using alembic copper stills, the traditional method of distilling cognac; it’s barreled in both new French limousine oak and used cognac casks; it’s single-malt. In order to actually seal the deal, they’ll have to buy a bottle of Brenne.