Exclusive | Where craft becomes art: The story behind The Balvenie fifty second edition

October 17, 2025

In this interview, we speak with Here Design, the London-based studio behind the packaging for The Balvenie Fifty Second edition. Known for their human-centered approach and deep respect for craft, Here Design has been collaborating with The Balvenie for over 15 years, translating the brand’s enduring values into timeless design.

The Balvenie fifty is part of the distillery’s old and precious collection, a rare and collectible series celebrating half a century of craftsmanship. The second edition continues this legacy, blending precision engineering and storytelling into a form that embodies the patience, artistry, and heritage behind the whisky.

From its intricate ten-helix wooden casing to the subtle brass detailing and hand-blown crystal bottle, the design is both technically masterful and emotionally resonant. Each element reflects the interwoven stories of the makers and materials that shape the Balvenie, resulting in a piece that protects, reveals, and celebrates the extraordinary liquid within.

Can you tell us more about the brand, its story, values, and how your collaboration began?

We’ve been working with The Balvenie for over 15 years, united by a shared appreciation for craftsmanship and excellence. Our relationship has evolved across decades, from the designs for the 12, 15, 25, and 40-year-old expressions to the creation of the 50-year-old edition, and later, the 60-year.

The Balvenie 50 was conceived as a collectible expression that celebrates the distillery’s enduring values, craft, foresight, and collaboration. Every edition in the fifty collection represents rarity – the interweaving of many skills and stories that have shaped the liquid over five decades. This has presented us with the opportunity to create a piece that embodies these interwoven stories in a physical form.

Were there any challenges during the creative process, whether strategic, visual, or technical?

Capturing fifty years of craft in a single object is no small feat. The concept, a structure of interwoven stories reflecting the many hands involved in whisky-making, came naturally, but realising it required extraordinary precision and collaboration.

Working in wood and metal to create such a tightly toleranced structure meant even a one-millimetre deviation would render a structure unusable. The process demanded state-of-the-art 4-axis CNC machining and a close partnership with Croglin to achieve the perfect curvature and seamless assembly. The challenge was to make something that looked effortless, balancing function, storytelling, and refinement, while ensuring the pack served both as a vessel and a celebration of the whisky within.

From your perspective, what role does packaging play in building trust and loyalty in luxury drinks?

In luxury drinks, packaging is not an accessory; it’s the storyteller and companion to the liquid. It embodies the same patience, precision, and integrity that define the whisky itself.

For collectors and enthusiasts, understanding the process is part of the pleasure. In the case of The Balvenie 50, the packaging becomes a vessel for the story, a way of preserving the whisky’s rarity, its craftsmanship, and the people behind it. It bridges time, turning a fleeting sensory experience into a tangible heirloom that carries The Balvenie’s spirit forward.

How has the feedback been so far, from the client, consumers, or the design community?

The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Both The Balvenie team and the wider design community have celebrated the work for its authenticity and precision. It’s been recognised not only as an achievement in design and engineering but as a genuine reflection of The Balvenie’s values, craftsmanship, collaboration, and storytelling. Across press and social channels, the response has highlighted how the Fifty Collection captures what The Balvenie stands for: human craft at its most intricate and expressive, interwoven across generations.

Design studio: Here Design