Never Never Distilling Co. is launching its annual Ginache Grenache Gin vintage release in a different way this year, with a graphic design on pack from local artist Kerri Wright.
There will be only 553 bottles of this year's vintage released to the public, with each bottle featuring the illustration created by Wright.
With the distillery nestled firmly in the heart of McLaren Vale, it felt appropriate that the subject matter was inspired by Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, the company said.
The design features the famous Maenad dancer, a follower of Dionysus who was often said to feature in frenzied dances fuelled by intoxication and the supernatural.
“We wanted to transform this year's vintage release into something very special and completely different to previous years,” said Sean Baxter, co-founder and brand director at Never Never Distilling Co.
“When we saw the way the line work pops against the deep, mulberry tones of the Grenache Gin we knew that it was the right decision giving Wright the creative direction.
“It’s such an exciting way to present such a striking piece of carving, especially given Wright’s relationship to our brand. She’s been a part of our bottle design, with her original lino prints of the McLaren Vale featured on our label from the very beginning, when we were still dreaming about McLaren Vale vistas, long before they were a reality,” he added.
Kerri Wright, the artist who created the art piece was thrilled to be invited to once again contribute to what a local brand in the area.
“I love it when I go into bottle shops and I see the whole suite of products all lined up in a row, I never realised that when I was creating the image, that it would be on all their products in different colourways,” says Wright.
When she created the initial hill line that has become a feature of every bottle, she said she had never seen the site before, or visited Chalk Hill.
“I loved coming down to McLaren Vale and to see the distillery for the first time,” says Wright, “it was quite surreal to see the view from the hill and how it really lines up to what I created, it was like they manifested their own destiny, it was quite exciting for me.”
When Never Never reached out about working on a limited-edition Grenache Gin, Wright said she was thrilled to once again be contributing her creative talent, albeit in a much more prominent way.
“I was obviously very excited to work with Never Never again, I love storytelling and metaphors and how that is told through Greek Mythology,” she said.
Never Never says it was “gobsmacked” by the final composition and how it “truly jumps off the bottle”.
When Never Never launched its Ginache Grenache Gin in 2020, the distillery says the product was the first Grenache gin to hit the global market, infused with locally grown grapes sourced from the McLaren Vale region.
Over the last two years, the gin has twice been awarded Australia’s Best Flavoured Gin at the World Gin Awards, so it seems appropriate that this year's release is dedicated to the god of fruit.
