Ah, the hundreds of stories that whiskies tell us about wood. Aintcha just sick to death of them?
Well, no, actually, in fact I was deeply fascinated by the account of whisky maturation in wood, in this richly informative website. Being German it’s big on diagrams and convincing technical explanations, but slightly less good on emotional ‘pull’.
But that’s where us storytelling designers come in, isn’t it? We know to convey the knowledge and craftsmanship of a brand with persuasive packaging and some well-crafted visuals and props. The Glenlivet Nadurra has a nice story to tell about Sherry casks, but I used to glaze over at that point until this cabinet caught my eye. With its appetising close-up of the wood-carver at work (would he really finish on the ‘A’?), and those enigmatic hoop-la rings, I’m captivated and ready to buy into this story.
As for the single ball billiard table… No, you’ve got me there.