From a sales decline of -23% to 280% growth within a year, Westward Whiskey’s trajectory was reversed following the launch of a standout visual identity, label and bottle design.
In the luxury American whiskey set, Westward Whiskey wasn’t receiving the exposure it wanted. Lagging behind its six key competitors and without strong distribution in off-trade, the $80 per bottle whiskey struggled during lockdowns and sales had dipped.
With ambitions to become one of the top three amongst its competitive set, Westward launched a new identity, bottle and packaging design into a pandemic-gripped world. And it changed everything for the 20-year-old brand.
From the proposition, to the bespoke bottle structure, logo and label, Pearlfisher’s design solution is a tribute to Westward’s birthplace in the American Northwest, echoing the whiskey’s brewing landscape and pioneering personality.
Within a year of the rebrand launching in November 2020, Westward had smashed its 184% growth target to achieve sales 52% above this ambitious aim. Previously in seventh place, by August 2021 it had become a top three growth brand amongst its competitive set, growing by up to 30% every month.
The distinct bottle design stands the whiskey apart from the competition and is attracting more high-net worth individuals. Westward made more on one sale of single casks in 2021 than the entirety of the previous year’s revenue. It is now also sold in the Nordics, France, Germany and UK.
