Discovering the stronghold of French whiskey with Laferté
At the recent Forum du Print et du Packaging on 21 May, held by Imprim’Luxe at the Hôtel de l’Industrie in Paris, we had the pleasure of meeting Loys Vallon de Testa, Co-founder and CEO of Laferté, an innovative French whiskey brand making waves in the spirits industry.
With a background at the prestigious Moët Hennessy group, Loys and his partners set out to create a contemporary French whiskey that combines tradition and modernity, appealing both to connoisseurs and newcomers alike.
In this interview, Loys shares directly the story behind Laferté, the vision driving its creation, and the bold choices behind its unique packaging.
Can you tell us a bit about the brand, its origins and its markets?
Laferté was co-founded by three former Moët Hennessy colleagues. It is a French blending house producing a contemporary French whiskey aimed at both seasoned enthusiasts and curious newcomers.
The name Laferté comes from the Old French word ferté, meaning a stronghold or fortified town. From the beginning, our ambition has been to establish France as a stronghold for whiskey, and Laferté perfectly embodies that vision.
Today, we are present across three continents, with France as our core market. After all, whiskey is the most widely consumed spirit in the country.
How does the design reflect the brand’s values? What inspired it?
Our bottle was designed by the agency Stranger & Stranger, with a brief to reflect refined French elegance, understated and premium.
The symbol we use is inspired by Vauban citadels, which are embedded in the French landscape, familiar to many, and a perfect example of French strongholds.
We created a bespoke glass mould to achieve the level of detail we wanted, it was essential to catch the eye from the very first glance.
What is innovative or unusual about your packaging?
We made a deliberate decision not to use a box or sleeve. It was a mix of pragmatism and principle. Packaging comes at a cost, has an environmental impact, and does not really enhance our product, since it is the bottle itself that draws attention.
It is also very difficult to achieve the same level of quality in an outer case as in such a carefully crafted glass design.
What technical challenges did you need to overcome to manufacture the packaging, if any?
A bespoke bottle design requires time and significant investment. We took the risk of delays or spending far more than our competitors on something that is often dismissed as “just marketing”.
In reality, we believe it is all part of the experience, the quality of the liquid deserves to be reflected in its presentation.
The development process took over a year, compared to just a few weeks for a standard bottle with a basic label.
What reactions have you had from customers?
Our bottle was awarded Gold at the Spirits Business Design & Packaging Masters, one of the most prestigious competitions in the industry.
Every time someone discovers the bottle, we receive compliments, and that confirms we made the right choice.
