A leading creative is joining forces with Edinburgh-based Wee Smoky to make a whisky brand that is truly embedded within Scottish creative culture.
Wee Smoky has just released its latest batch of 5000 bottles of single grain Sscotch whisky, just in time for Christmas.
The brand – which sold out its first limited-edition batch in just four days – also recently gained gold and silver awards at the prestigious San Francisco Spirits Competition, considered the global benchmark in the bartender community.
It is the latest success in a stellar 2021 for Wee Smoky, also yielding a bronze award at the International Wine & Spirits Competition 2021, and finalist spots at the Scottish Whisky Awards in the Newcomer of the Year and Single Grain categories – the results of which will be announced this month.
Wee Smoky has now partnered with celebrated creative director Barrington Reeves, the founder of one of the UK’s most exciting creative agencies, Too Gallus, as multi-award winner Barrington has worked with brands including Nike, Red Bull and V&A.
Glasgow-based Barrington, who is working alongside Wee Smoky founder Rory Gammell on the project, said: ‘Many brands have postured to try and be different, but nobody has actually truly disrupted whisky – it’s still inaccessible and elitist.
‘I want to help make whisky the drink that people order at the club, like vodka and rum. We’ll do that by making it genuinely inclusive, fun and high energy.
‘Wee Smoky has the potential to be a global whisky brand for creators – there’s nobody in that space.
‘I love Scotland, but it’s portrayed as being far too twee. If Scotland is to be on the cultural map, we need to break through those out-dated, unhelpful stereotypes perpetuated by whisky.
‘Traditional “Scottishness” doesn’t resonate with the real changemakers in Scottish society – but that’s what whisky is stuck on.
‘I’m not a whisky drinker, and that’s because I’ve never felt any affinity to it. I always felt there was never a brand that engaged people like me. Whisky brands try to be diverse but I don’t think sticking a black person in your campaign is enough to be honest. Wee Smoky can be something that no other Scottish whisky is – culturally relevant.’
As well as breaking down barriers, Wee Smoky tastes good too. It has won multiple awards, and was described by judges at this year’s International Wine and Spirits Competition as ‘brimming with delicate, smoky sweetness and a rather pleasant soft fruit finish.’
Founder Rory Gammell added: ‘Now cocktail bars are back open and our second batch is ready, we are finally able to do what we wanted to do – make a global brand that flies the flag for modern Scotland. We’ve bootstrapped everything to this stage, and while doing so we managed to sell-out our first batch.
‘Joining forces with Too Gallus has given the brand rocket fuel. It’s incredibly exciting. Baz and I have a mutual burning passion for pushing Scotland forward, so we hit it off from the beginning. It’s been so energising working with him and his team so far. We have huge plans and aim to make a splash not just in Scotland, but in Europe and across the world.
(From left) Patrick Hughes (designer at Too Gallus), Rory Gammell (founder Wee Smoky), and Barrington Reeves (creative director and founder at Too Gallus)
‘With the help of the fantastically talented Too Gallus team, our distinctive blue and pink bottles stand a good chance of becoming iconic. And we’re confident that the smooth, fruity, and lightly smoky whisky will win over any sceptic.
‘We both believe there’s a big future for our Single Grain Scotch whisky. The taste profile is much more accessible than many expect for a whisky, and there’s a huge untapped audience of people that want to like whisky, but don’t feel invited. We welcome these people to give a Wee Smoky cocktail a try. So far we have converted countless non-whisky drinkers, and are proud to see so many women appearing as our champions.’
Barrington is already heavily invested in cementing Scotland’s place on the cultural map, having built brands in art, design, music and fashion. He runs Magic City, a hip hop and RnB night club which gives many in the city an introduction to black culture.
After refreshing the brand, he has now turned his attention to developing his first campaign for Wee Smoky, which will invite Scots to ‘show their flair’ across Instagram and TikTok.
Barrington added: ‘The brand’s mission is about Scottish flair – and that’s Scottish flair in all its facets. Maybe it’s producing beats, or painting. Maybe it’s modifying a car. We want to see creativity in all its facets. It will start in Scotland but we will see people from all over the world.
‘We want the brand to be more than just a whisky. We want it to be a movement. We will embed it within creative culture, by developing real authentic grassroots relationships with creators. Wee Smoky has all the makings of a global brand – we’re already seeing orders from Germany and are preparing to meet demand in Mexico and the USA.’
Among the brand’s top team of advisors is whisky distiller Ollie Salvesen and Pickering’s Gin founder and head distiller Matt Gammell.
Staying true to its mission to empower creators, Wee Smoky also launched a special edition whisky in collaboration with neo-folk band Project Smok. After Wee Smoky won an auction for naming rights to their new single, piper Ali Levack was invited to play to the casks as they age to enhance the flavour – a process known as sonic ageing.
Just 5000 bottles of Wee Smoky’s award-winning Single Grain Scotch whisky are available in batch two at www.weesmoky.com
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