The Clydeside Distillery
In 2014, the Morrison family, owners and operators of whisky brands in Scotland for more than a century, set to work on a new distillery in Glasgow. The first of its kind to be initiated in the city in over 100 years, the Clydeside Distillery was envisioned as both a distillery and visitor center. With a clear vision to revive distilling in Glasgow and tell the story of Scotland’s greatest export, The Morrison's commissioned Manual to craft a brand narrative and visitor experience that both the city and the family could be proud of.
DESIGNED AT MANUAL (2025 - 2022)
HistorIC LOCATION
The site of the distillery played a pivotal role in shaping the brand identity, narrative, and visitor experience. Located on the banks of the River Clyde, the contemporary architecture of the distillery adjoins a historic pump house, originally built in 1877. The pump house provided hydraulic power for the Queen’s Dock and its swing-bridge, allowing ships to enter and exit the dock with their precious loads of tea, sugar, tobacco, and of course whisky.
GRAPHIC LANGUAGE
The design of a custom inline display typeface—initially inspired by the pitched roof-lines of the Queens Dock warehouses—allows for a distinct typographic voice for the identity, and exists between traditionally chiseled signage and stenciled crates of import and export. The visual reference to shipping is also echoed through the use of a color-split device echoing ship hull colors, and with the supporting use of iconography derived from ships' load-line markers.
PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCE
On the visitor experience side, we worked with interior architects to bring the identity to life ultimately developing activities and experiences including way-finding and a ‘label-your-own’ Whisky station to allow visitors to leave the distillery with a customized and gift-worthy dram.
DESIGN CREDITS
Agency: Manual
Creative Director: Tom Crabtree
Art Director: Tanner Irwin
Senior Designer: Nathan Fyok
COLLABORATORS & CREDITS
Interior Architects: Bright 3D
Typeface Development: Colophon Foundry
PROJECT ROLE