Glenfiddich is celebrating Chinese New Year in exuberant style with a limited-edition 18 Year Old gift presentation designed by renowned Chinese illustrator Rlon Wang (known as Rlonart*), as well as two experiential travel retail pop-ups in Hainan, China.
“I wanted to tell a story that evokes the warmth and excitement of Lunar New Year – the irreplaceable feeling and anticipation of finally coming home to loved ones” – Rlon Yang
The single malt Scotch whisky brand owned by family-controlled William Grant & Sons has reprised its 2020 partnership with Shenzhen-based Wang, who last year produced an illustrated pack design for the same holiday celebrations.
Last year’s edition explored the mystique and magic of the brand’s royal stag icon and re-imagined an epic one-year journey made over a century ago by Charles Gordon (son-in-law of Glenfiddich founder William Grant) in taking Glenfiddich, ‘the Valley of the Deer’, to the world. 2021’s offering focuses on Gordon’s return, and the feeling of reuniting at home with family and friends.
That is an apt sentiment for any Lunar New Year, a festive period that traditionally inspires the world’s biggest annual human migration, as people travel homeward to see loved ones and celebrate together. Although the COVID-19 has compromised that migration, the sentiments underpinning reunion burn more strongly than ever.
The grandeur of the Glenfiddich stag in this year’s artwork again conveys the spirit of a famous oil painting The Monarch of the Glen, which is at the centrepiece of the depictions. From dancing lions to barrel-carrying balloons, Yang’s illustrative style offers up various hidden gems to spot each time the buyer picks up the pack. Scottish and Asian elements combine to evoke the long-standing connection between two cultures.
“I wanted to tell a story that evokes the warmth and excitement of Lunar New Year – the irreplaceable feeling and anticipation of finally coming home to loved ones,” said Yang.
“Inspired by the Glenfiddich spirit of experimentation and adventure, I created an illustration that comes alive with symbols of generations old and new. I loved playing with the symbiosis of Chinese and Scottish cultures – two connected countries on opposite sides of the world.”
As a former student of traditional Chinese painting, but with a distinctly contemporary style, Wang was considered the perfect artist to tell this story. His colourful, multi-layered illustration takes inspiration from personal memories of family gatherings at Lunar New Year as well as the symbolic meaning of deer in Chinese folk tales, where the animal often represents long life and good fortune.
The limited-edition design appears on the individually numbered Glenfiddich 18 Year Old pack, described by the company as a “rich, intriguingly fruity and robust” oak expression matured in Spanish Oloroso wood and American oak by Malt Master Brian Kinsman.
Making a stand in Hainan
Glenfiddich has further underlined the company’s commitment to China travel retail by introducing Chinese New Year pop-ups that will run until the end of March at CDF Mall in Haitang Bay, Sanya and until the end of February at the Hainan Tourism Investment Development Co/Lagardère Travel Retail store in Sanya.
Each experiential pop-up offers consumers the opportunity to taste the flagship Glenfiddich 18 Year Old and 21 Year Old, enjoy gift premiums with purchase and participate in a Chinese New Year draw with exciting prizes. The pop-ups bring Yang’s illustration to life while offering a contemporary take on the Chinese lantern.
“Despite the challenging year we had last year, we see green shoots emerging slowly but surely in the region. Being a family-owned company has afforded us the opportunity to invest ahead in the channel for the longer term,” said William Grant & Sons Regional Director of GTR – Asia Pacific & Middle East Matthew Williams.
“Our investments in the channel reflect the continued confidence our executive board has and our commitment to our partners. There are great opportunities for our portfolio throughout Asia Pacific, and particularly in China for the Lunar New Year occasion, and we look forward to continuing to deliver exceptional consumer experiences with our valuable partners such as CDF Group and Lagardère both in-store and online.”
To further amplify the pop-ups and drive awareness, Glenfiddich is collaborating with some of China’s leading Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) on WeChat and Weibo to showcase some of the exclusive products available and preview the promotions and experiences consumers can expect when they visit.
Participating KOLs include Feekr, 阿Sam 的午夜場 Moli, 劉子恒 and 扎堆在三亚. The KOL content is supplemented by a partnership with Da Zhong Dian Ping 大众点评, a top food and lifestyle review website in China, with over 30 KOLs creating content to amplify the reach and awareness to drive traffic to the pop-up space.
*About the design and the designer
Rlon Wang’s colourful, multi-layered illustration takes inspiration from personal memories of family gatherings at Lunar New Year. Wang also draws on the symbolic meaning of deer in Chinese folk tales, where the animal often represents long life and good fortune.
Wang (王荣亮) was born in Tianshui, Gansu in 1985. He graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at Tianshui Normal University, having majored in Chinese painting.
He describes his style of work as having a very visual impact, drawing on rich colours. Wang’s website notes, “Most of his works add with the East’s traditional visual elements and the Western shape performance, while retaining the ornamental value and modern visual expression of the unique style of his works. His works are full of tensile strength, and the style is unique.”
