The Art Of The Whisky Barrel At Hotel Du Vin
Published 17th Dec 2007 by Blaire McColl

Glenfiddich Barrel Art national tour arrives in Brighton on 17th December. Four very different British designers were challenged by Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky to create art by using the company?s whisky barrels in a unique exhibition at the Hotel du Vin, Brighton. Inspiration for the art comes from the whisky ageing process and in particular the specific year the barrels were first laid down for maturation.

The designers were drawn from across the worlds of fashion, interiors, books and music and have all worked with the barrels of different aged Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky to create their artwork.

Originally exhibited in London, the artwork is on tour and has now arrived at Hotel du Vin on Ship Street in Brighton where works by David Pearson and Nick Hart will be displayed from 17th December to 22nd December.

David Pearson ? award winning designer for Penguin books who has created cover artwork for hundreds of books including iconic ranges such as Popular Classics and Great Loves.

David?s based his design on the year 1989 when today?s Glenfiddich 18 Year Old was put into its barrel to mature: ?I have created a typographic representation of Schiller's 'Ode to Joy', the vocal section at the end of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony which the Germans adopted as their 'theme' for the felling of the Berlin Wall. To add a more personal element, I worked entirely in enamel paint - the substance used to paint many of my Subbuteo players in the same year.?

Nick Hart ? founder and designer of Savile Row tailors Spencer Hart, one of the UK?s most esteemed men?s fashion tailor designers with stars such as David Bowie among his clients.

Nick has chosen 1977, the year when Glenfiddich 30 Year Old was first put into its barrel: ?The inspiration for my work is drawn from the ancient fable of the ?angel?s share?, the theme of the year ? 1977 ? is borne out through the accompanying soundtrack of Talking Heads which was so iconic at the time.?

Also invited to create a barrel were Timorous Beasties, the award winning Glasgow design duo Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons who have defined an iconoclastic style of design once described as ?William Morris on acid?. They were joined by Storm Thorgerson, the esteemed album artwork designer who has created iconic imagery for the likes of Pink Floyd, Muse, Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, Biffy Clyro and many more.

?Barrels are hugely important to us at Glenfiddich,? explained Tarja Tuunanen, Senior brand Manager for Glenfiddich. ?After all, it is where the magic happens, where the whisky matures and develops its unique flavor and character. Every year counts in that process ? a barrel laid down in 1977 will give us a very different work of art compared to a barrel laid down in 1989. We?re interested in the possibilities of what can be created over time and that was part of the brief to the designers.?


All the designers have met with the firm?s own artisans: the coopers. Glenfiddich is the only distillery in the Highlands to have a team of on-site coopers to mend and tend every cask that matures the fine single malt Scotch whisky.

For more information on the Glenfiddich Barrel Art, visit www.glenfiddich.com/barrelart

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