The best drink in the house
Canadian Club has a storied history. What began as a grain merchant’s easy-drinking whisky became the bootleg of choice for American gangsters during Prohibition. Today, Canadian Club is less gangster, more go-to whisky. Found on back bars around the world, it’s still easy drinking and still trusted. Canadian Club has more than earned its status as an authentic heritage brand.
Over the years, Canadian Club’s portfolio of whiskies had become inconsistent. A confusing variation in label designs and bottle shapes compromised the brand’s premium credentials and the lack of recognisable assets made the range difficult to navigate.
Over the years, Canadian Club’s portfolio of whiskies had become inconsistent.
Co‑Partnership was briefed to refresh just the Classic 12-Year-Old Whisky, but we saw an opportunity to unlock a bigger challenge for the brand—restoring Canadian Club to its iconic status with a total portfolio packaging refresh to raise its premium credentials.
Inspired by the Canadian Club’s smooth, approachable flavour and vibrant heritage, we developed the positioning Refreshingly Authentic. To revive this historic brand and back up its authenticity we dug into its archive, uncovering treasures that had been lost along the way. The tall bottle neck and label stood out as a distinctive brand asset. We paired this with the powerfully simple C.C. monogram to create iconic consistency across the portfolio.
For this fast-moving whisky brand, easy navigation of the range was a priority. We unified the portfolio under one label hierarchy and bottle structure, bringing order to the packaging to help consumers easily identify the brand across products. Meticulously crafted typography and considered product storytelling reinforced this coherent label communication.
With this packaging refresh, Canadian Club has regained a foundation from which they can move with flexibility into new product development.
