Five Springs: Launching a refresh on bourbon
When you grow up in Kentucky, bourbon is more than a drink. It’s a passion. The family behind the new whiskey brand, Five Springs, exudes that passion. But as born and bred Kentuckians, they also believed bourbon needed a refresh — a twist on tradition for the next generation. Made with premium bourbon aged in American oak barrels, blended and bottled in Kentucky, and infused with natural fruits, botanicals, and other flavors, their products honor bourbon’s roots while embracing the new and adventurous.
The Five Springs team approached us to partner with them on a website and launch project. With the logo, colors, and bottle labels complete, our task was to expand the brand assets to include additional language and visual assets that would extend to a product website. As with any startup, our challenge was to create something for a product that didn’t yet exist.
We began our collaboration with a half-day of discovery workshops, getting to know the team’s vision for the future, their values, and their desired audience. We even created fake Tinder profiles for various audience personas. We quickly learned that building trust with a younger audience that values authenticity was a top priority. Hyperbole and overselling weren’t an option. So we strategized on a simple website and language that spoke the truth of Five Springs.
The Five Springs brand is bright, fresh, and playful. Shaking off as much rigid tradition as possible was a priority. We created language for the website that felt natural, light-hearted, and resonant to encourage a quick connection with their audience. We also looked to many younger DTC brands for visual language inspiration. We incorporated whimsical doodles of the botanicals, bright colors, and organic shapes to mimic the brand's infused natural flavors and spontaneous nature.
When it comes to product photography, believability matters. You can read our thoughts about stock photography here. We weren’t about to photoshop a Five Springs bottle into the hands of strangers. The audience would know it was fake, and we would lose them at launch. So, we gathered a diverse group of young people in a casual outdoor setting to capture the “born outdoors” vibe. Positioning the product as the hero, we used the humans as a backdrop to give context for who this product is for and how to use it.
The Five Springs launch first targets bartenders and vendors thirsty for a spin on tradition. And ready to show a new audience that premium bourbon can have flavor and authenticity.
