A team of business and drinks industry experts approached O Street intending to create a contemporary “Irish Whiskey” to capitalise on the burgeoning market, particularly in the United States.
They had a notion for the name but no brand, no bottle, nor any whiskey. The brief was basically, can you help us bring this idea to reality?
![Outwalker - The Restless Spirit - Photography by Peter Dibdin](https://ostreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ostreet-outwalker-bottle-petedibdin-04.jpg)
Peter Dibdin
Working with O Street’s Irish-based pals, SheSaid and copywriter Conor Kelly, we started by developing a brand strategy via a series of workshops and conversations.
![Outwalker Whiskey - strategic workshop and brand positioning slides - O Street, Design Agency, Scotland](https://ostreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ostreet-outwalker-process_1600x1067.png)
With the brand tone set as confident, adventurous and contemporary (it’s ‘now-Ireland’, not ‘then-Ireland’) we pushed ahead developing ideas for the brand and packaging. The Restless Spirit brand concept was born.
![](https://ostreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ostreet-outwalker-brand-identity_01-1.gif)
The evocative, easy-to-pronounce, name ‘Outwalker’ was central to the brand concept. So the label itself celebrates our handcrafted modern wordmark, unadorned by colour, frills, year statement or etchings of distillery buildings.
![Outwalker - The Restless Spirit - Photography by Peter Dibdin](https://ostreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ostreet-outwalker-bottle-petedibdin-01-712x1067.jpg)
Peter Dibdin
The label also sits low on the bottle, as a paper wrap-around, with all the focus on the liquid… and a ghostly figure in the glass.
![Outwalker Irish Whisky Brand Development - Irish Mythology](https://ostreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ostreet-outwalker-brand-identity_02.jpg)
The Outwalker figure is inspired by the Dullahan, a fantastical form taken from Irish myth and redrawn with a grungy ink sketch to add a dash of contemporary gothic.
![Irish Myth The Dullahan Ink Illustrations by Scottish Design Agency, O Street for Outwalker Brand Identity](https://ostreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ostreet-outwalker-brand-identity_03.jpg)
![Outwalker Irish Mythology Characters Animation](https://ostreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ostreet-outwalker-characters-walk.gif)
As tempting as it was to go wild, the emphasis was on the bottle being bartender-friendly. This set our course on quietly confident designs that stood out on the shelf and would be easy to use in a cocktail speed rail. (Fun fact: a lot of your fave bottle designs won’t fit in a speed rail!)
![Outwalker Whiskey Bottle design development - by O Street Branding Studio in Glasgow, Scotland](https://ostreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ostreet-outwalker-brand-identity_04.jpg)
We designed the bottle mould, keeping things at first glance conventional, but with enough unique details to elevate the design—weaving the character of the brand into the glass, capsule and stopper.
![Outwalker Irish Whiskey Bottle Design By O Street in Glasgow, Scotland](https://ostreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ostreet-outwalker-brand-identity_05.jpg)
![Outwalker - The Restless Spirit - Photography by Peter Dibdin](https://ostreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ostreet-outwalker-bottle-petedibdin-02.jpg)
Peter Dibdin
We rounded out the Outwalker identity with a crafted set of guidelines which included photography and type treatments to fully embody the brand concept.
![Outwalker Irish Whiskey - Brand Identity Guidelines by O Street Design Studio in Glasgow](https://ostreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ostreet-outwalker-brand-guidelines-02.png)
To capture the essence of of Outwalker, we worked with our talented photographer pal Pete Dibdin. Double points if you can spot the Holbein painting reference hidden within the bottle shots…
![Outwalker - The Restless Spirit - Photography by Peter Dibdin](https://ostreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ostreet-outwalker-bottle-petedibdin-03.jpg)
Outwalker launched in October 2023, at a fantastic event in Custom House Square in Belfast. You can find out where to purchase the intriguing spirit from this growing list of stockists.
![Outwalker Irish Whiskey - The Restless Spirit Brand Concept](https://ostreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ostreet-outwalker-brand-identity_07.jpg)
“O Street brought strategic thinking, creative spark and perseverance to what has been a long but very rewarding journey in the development of our brand.”—Adrian McLaughlin, Co-Founder, Outwalker Whiskey