March 3, 2026

From Brief to Exhibition

Closing the Chapter on Our Future of Premium Whisky Packaging Project

Our Future of Premium Whisky Packaging project with The Glasgow School of Art has now come to a close.

When we launched the partnership at the end of 2025, the intention was simple. We wanted to bring a real industry challenge into an academic environment and explore how third-year Product Design Engineering students would respond to it.

Over the past few months, those students have been exploring what luxury whisky packaging could look like in 2035 to 2040, working to balance premium brand expectations with the realities of PPWR, EPR and evolving sustainability standards.

The Brief

The project began with Arran Distillery visiting the Art School to speak directly with the students. That early session was significant. It gave the students a clear understanding of what premium means in practice and what is at stake when that perception of premium is challenged by regulatory and environmental pressures.

The brief challenged each team to design a future-focused secondary packaging solution that maintains a strong sense of luxury while meeting circularity and recyclability requirements.

This was not intended to be a purely visual exercise. Students were expected to demonstrate technical rigour around material selection, manufacturability and structural performance, alongside an understanding of brand narrative and user experience. The scale of the challenge reflected the reality facing the industry.

The Industry

Throughout the project, students engaged directly with industry.

A visit to Chivas Brothers provided insight into how packaging decisions are shaped within a large international brand. CVH Spirits shared a perspective on how regulatory change connects with commercial strategy and route to market considerations. Time spent with The Glenmorangie Company offered a view into how a heritage brand balances innovation with responsibility.

These sessions influenced how the concepts developed. Students were able to test their thinking against real constraints and real expectations. That exchange strengthened the final outcomes.

Michael O’Donnell, Project Manager at IPL Packaging, and PDE graduate, comments:

It has been a great experience being back at PDE having graduated in 2020. The students had to become a master of two complex industries in a very short space of time, the whisky industry as well as luxury packaging. I am always impressed by how capable, innovative yet grounded in reality PDE students are, with the blend of engineering and design producing novel and practical concepts. PDE & IPL are the perfect partnership due to their shared ethos of design & innovation. I hope to continue this partnership and I am excited to see what comes next.

The Final Exhibition

The depth of thinking, technical rigour and creativity demonstrated at the final exhibition was exceptional.

Across all teams, there was clear evidence of considered problem solving. The concepts did not treat sustainability as an add-on. Instead, material choices, structural systems and brand positioning were developed together. The work showed an understanding that the next decade of premium packaging will demand integration rather than compromise.

We’re pleased to recognise the following teams:

1st Place: The Yeasty Boys

A bold and immersive concept that combined strong storytelling with careful consideration of materials, manufacturability and user experience.

2nd Place: Team Faerie

A sculptural, forward-thinking solution that explored form, movement and material innovation while remaining aligned with regulatory direction.

3rd Place: BM²

A culturally inspired concept that thoughtfully considered reuse, brand narrative and changing consumer demographics.

While we’re unable to share full project details due to intellectual property considerations, the breadth and quality of the work speaks for itself.

Looking Ahead

Projects like this reinforce the value of industry and education working closely together. The students responded to a demanding real-world brief with commercial awareness and originality. In return, we gained a fresh perspective on how emerging designers are approaching the regulatory and material challenges that are already reshaping the sector.

A sincere thank you to the students and tutors at The Glasgow School of Art, and to Arran Distillery, Chivas Brothers, CVH Spirits and The Glenmorangie Company for contributing time and insight throughout the project.

The exhibition may mark the formal conclusion of the brief, but the conversation continues. We look forward to engaging further with the ideas developed and to following the careers of this talented group as they move into industry.

About IPL Packaging

IPL Packaging is a global leader in premium and luxury packaging design and manufacturing, which celebrated 25 years of excellence in 2025. Combining innovative design with deep expertise in spirits and luxury goods, IPL delivers exceptional packaging solutions that protect brand integrity and create exceptional unboxing experiences. For more information, visit iplpackaging.com

Media Contact:

Michael O’Donnell +44 132 462 2295 michael.odonnell@iplpackaging.com

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