A Reserve-cask Malt Brand that Rewrote the McDowell’s.

For the 125th anniversary of McDowell's, Diageo set out to release a limited-cask single malt under a name known worldwide but rarely associated with craft. They needed to elevate a mass market icon into a space that felt considered, modern and rooted in place. We partnered directly with their brand studio to shape a new narrative for the brand built on Indian terroir, contemporary luxury and a sense of origin.

We created the digital launch experience from the ground up, designing a site inspired by the Sahyadri mountains where the spirit matures. Mist, geology and quiet atmosphere set the tone. Slow reveals, mineral textures and subtle cues from cask char and copper stills produced an environment that felt handcrafted rather than corporate. Every transition was designed to move with intention. A collector-first reservation flow allowed early access long before the liquid reached market.

This project represented a genuine zero to one moment inside one of the world's largest beverage companies. It needed to shift perception and prove that a legacy brand could operate with the agility and intimacy of a small atelier. The launch demonstrated how a focused creative pod can plug into a global organisation and unlock a new way of telling stories. It also reframed how McDowell's can participate in the rising conversation around Indian single malts.