Falconer’s eye-catching packaging adds spirit to Murray McDavid rebrand
March 15th, 2023
Leading carton manufacturer, Falconer, has produced distinctive stand-out secondary packaging for a refresh of Scotch whisky brand, Murray McDavid, owned by Speyside-based, Aceo. The eye-catching design of the packaging retains the six core colours, which have been refreshed whilst staying true to the original distinctive Murray McDavid look. With sustainability being a major consideration for the move, the new-look recyclable cartons replace previous tin tubes marking the start of a new chapter in Murray McDavid’s 30-year history as leading independent bottlers.
Falconer worked with the Murray McDavid Whisky Creations Team to develop the new packaging. By addressing the brand’s carbon footprint and advances in packaging technologies, the aim of the refresh was to accentuate the brand’s craft features of authenticity and quality, whilst improving shelf presence and relevance across target markets.
“As our energetic, vibrant Scotch whisky brand continues to grow in new markets around the world and it was so important for us to take action to reduce our carbon footprint. It was vital for us to work closely with the Falconer team, whose expertise helped us make the best steps to realise our vision to create new, environmentally conscious packaging, whilst strengthening the bold, unique presentation of our Murray McDavid brand.” Dean Jode – Murray McDavid’s Head of Whisky Creation
For the cartons, Falconer used Nordica Duo 710, with matt varnish on the non-foil areas and gloss varnish on the foil areas to accentuate the spot colour. The carton itself was produced using a silver, over printable hot foil. One solid spot pantone was added over the baseboard and foil, which meant no register issues and a very clean finish.
A darker pantone was added to create the detail in the logo and drop shadows. Furthermore, the over-printable hot foil enabled the brand owner to use a generic silver foil for all variants and change the colour of the foil with a colour wash. Not only did this provide a cost saving on foil and process, but it also means that any colour can be used if required.
Commenting on the creation of the packs, Falconer’s Colin Pow, said: “The packs are unique in that they have clear colour differentiation which covers the whole carton. The key was to avoid any fit or register lines that were eradicated by one solid colour over foil and board. The foil colour is bespoke to the colour chosen by the brand owner. Any colour reference can therefore be met, which gives more flexibility when adding SKUs as they are not limited to a fixed hot foil reference.”
February 8th, 2023
And the winner is…
Following the distribution of our theatrical gift box – The Nutcracker – to customers last Christmas, we have waited with anticipation to see the entries roll in for our competition (and there were quite a few). The competition, the details of which were included in a gold ticket inside the gift box, requiredrecipients of the box to take images of their prepared cocktails in a Christmas settingand send the pictures back to us for a chance to win a bottle of Tattinger Champagne and two champagne flutes.
We are delighted to tell you that the standard was particularly high – clearly the mixologists amongst you, with a creative eye, certainly went to town! However, the stand-out winner for us was:
Lucy Horncastle
Operations Manager – Compass Box Whisky
Judges comments:
“In regards to the winning image – we chose this one as the winner they clearly went the extra mile by setting the scene with props, as well as taking it outdoors to make the most of the snow, adding to the wintery season and festivity. The lit candle and vintage glass gave it a feeling of nostalgia and with the fine details, it was very well thought out.
“Other types of entries included a roll and roll-themed monopoly board, friends and family posing as ‘cheers’, Nutcracker props (tree decorations) set as a scene and a Christmas tree lit up in the background. An excellent effort from all those who entered!”
Winner’s comments:
“I’m not sure if you know, but I look forward to The Falconer Xmas showpiece every year and I had been hounding them on LinkedIn as well as bothering my colleagues to let me know when they were delivered in the office. One of their previous Xmas showpieces inspired our 100% recyclable gift set with Peat Monster!
“My photo was taken during the snow in London. It was a bit cold for one of the suggested serves over ice, Gin & Ginger, so we shook up the ingredients, topped with ginger ale, garnished, and set it outside in the garden for a quick snap with the stunning Nutcracker backdrop. It was a very chilly photoshoot but clearly worth it!
“I’m super stoked to have won, but really every project we work on with Falconer is a winner.”
January 16th, 2023
Leading carton manufacturer, Falconer, has recently designed and produced new secondary packaging for MIRROR WATER, an independent London-based body care brand. Created to package MIRROR WATER’s four body care products, the luxurious and modern boxes fully complement the brand’s ethos and aesthetic identity.
MIRROR WATER’s requirement for a packaging partner led to an initial meeting with Falconer, where the carton manufacturer was tasked with designing and creating the four different size cartons. Focussed on producing a sophisticated classic look, Falconer used the single coated reverse side of Incada Silk with a matt varnish, to give an aesthetically pleasing earthy colour. A bevelled emboss on the front of the cartons added product detail. In construction, all four boxes followed the same format, including webbed tucks and crash lock bases, with e-flute fitments to ensure protection for the glass containers inside.
“Falconer was a recommendation from a fellow beauty brand founder and after an initial meeting, we knew we were in great hands,” said Estée Lalonde, MIRROR WATER’s founder and CEO. “This was the first time any of us at MIRROR WATER worked on creating secondary box-packaging, so we needed a partner that understood that. Falconer took the time to explain things to us and help us make decisions based on our needs. Their focus on environmental responsibility and usage of biodegradable materials also meant a lot to us.
“Our whole team is absolutely thrilled with how the finished packaging turned out – it’s sleek and minimal, sophisticated and classic, letting our MIRROR WATER logo and colours shine through. It signals to our customers an exciting first-look at our brand identity as they unwrap their new products. We’re especially happy with the embossed finish on the front of pack – it creates a tactile experience and I know our customers are going to love that attention to detail.”
An initial run of 12000 cartons were produced across the range, with the products being available via MIRROR WATER’s website and exclusively in-store at Space NK.
Falconer’s Colin Pow added: “We are delighted that Estée and her team are thrilled with the packaging. Working with a new packaging partner to develop brand identity can be daunting, but I’m confident that we have collectively produced product packaging that will align well with customer expectations.”
January 9th, 2023
Last Christmas, as in the previous three years, Falconer has given its valued customers an extra special gift as a token of our appreciation and gratitude for their continued business and support. We’re not talking about the standard very nice bottle of wine here, as appealing as that may be – no, this is an inspirational, innovative and highly creative in-house production, guaranteed to delight, entertain and leave a lasting impression.
Every year we try to design and produce a gift that is more complex and intriguing than the last; in terms of intricacy, the bar went up a few notches in 2022!
Background to the Falconer Christmas gift
Falconer has always given a Christmas gift to its customers. In years gone by we tended to go down the standard ‘bottle of something’ route, but this really did very little to raise the profile of Falconer. So, we decided that our Christmas gift should become an introduction into to what can really be achieved when you get a group of talented and creative people together in one room.
It was clear from initial discussions, that whatever we gave to our customers needed to be unique and distinctive, showcasing all the techniques we have at our disposal – print, foiling, embossing, debossing and different constructions. For the last 3 festive seasons we have successfully produced gift cartons that have layers of tactility and lots of parts to look at, to move and to open. Not surprisingly the gifts have resulted in various productive conversations with customers as they look to use similar concepts with their products.
Of course the real value comes from the response we get by surprising them with something they haven’t seen before, creating an unforgettable lasting impression of quality and innovation. It’s fair to say that receiving a Falconer Christmas gift has become a hotly anticipated event by our customers, while from our side it helps to significantly deepen customer relationships, increase satisfaction, improve customer loyalty and encourage brand advocacy.
Christmas gift concept for 2022
For Christmas 2022, we chose the theme of the fairy ballet, The Nutcracker. As a traditional and fun tale that helps us reminisce the childhood magic of Christmas – a theatrical story, presented in a theatrical gift box created as a book. On opening the box, the inside front cover contains a wonderful and fun diorama, lit up with lights, which begins the story of The Nutcracker. On the opposite side, authentic looking pages narrate the magical plot, before the reader arrives at the back page where four ‘Falconer’ inspired cocktail recipes can be found, alongside a range of ingredients, each packaged in individual compartments. These include: Slingsby Marmalade Gin, Fever Tree Tonic/Ginger Beer, Sims dried botanicals, a handmade Christmas Candle by the Yorkshire Candle Company, and handmade chocolates by Wildings Chocolates.
A final and intriguing part of this festive engagement is a competition, the aim of which being to keep conversations flowing. With details laid out on an impressive enclosed gold ticket, the competition requires participants to take images of their prepared cocktails in a Christmas setting, scan a QR code and send the pictures to Falconer for a chance to win a bottle of Tattinger Champagne and two champagne flutes. Following judging, the winner is to be notified at the end of January.
All the packaging material used to create the pack is FSC and fully recyclable and the whole concept from design to production took place at Falconer’s Halifax manufacturing site.
Design & production
On handling the box, what looks and feels like a rigid box is actually a fully recyclable carton. The outer book is produced on board with a cream reverse to lesson the raw edges. The intricate foil embellishment creates an old school book appearance, which combined with traditional green shades on the cover, are designed to give a 3-dimensional look and draw your eye to the foil. Inside and behind curtains, the 3D diorama gives the sense of excitement and imagination of a child’s mind at Christmas. The diorama was a fun but challenging part, as all the elements needed to align perfectly to give depth and hide the mechanics of the design. This element, along with the lights, were carefully put together and glued by hand. The diorama has a novel secondary function in that it can be taken out of the outer book and used either as a Christmas card that lights up, or as a festive decoration.
The pages of the book, produced to look like an aged hard back book, are printed on the uncoated side of cream backed board, with matte gold borders to frame each page. The gifts at the back of the book are individually packaged in textured stunning iridescent solid gold board to complement the foil detail throughout. As all the gifts needed to be at the same height, the fitments were used to make sure all cartons aligned – a design challenge in itself.
In creation, each material had been carefully considered throughout, from weight to texture and colour. The outer was carefully created with the minimum amount of raw edges and constructed to give the book stability and strength to house the products within.
A total of 360 boxes were produced. All of Falconer’s customers receive one and we also give one to every member of staff as a thank you for the last 12 months.
How was it received?
Apart from the instant delight and appreciation received when handling over the gifts in person, and the complimentary comments, the gift has been very well received on social media, with lots of unboxing videos being shown.
Here are some of the comments we’ve had…
“Unboxing beautiful corporate gifting with a ‘The Nutcracker’ theme, from Falconer Print & Packaging Ltd to Aceo Limited”
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“Genius design, I cannot wait to try out the cocktails!”“We are very particular where we source our supplies from, right down to the paper and ink so there was no competition when we met @falconerprint back in 2019. Yorkshire based these guys are second to none, they’ve been a huge support throughout our journey and theydo the BEST Christmas gifting. We are never shy sharing our suppliers as we know we only work with the best.”
Until next year!
December 19th, 2022
Falconer’s design elves have been hard at work this Christmas creating a stunning gift for customers – a Nutcracker themed carton board box containing an array of wonderful, locally sourced gifts and festive treats.
Once again, Falconer has pulled out all the stops to showcase their impressive creativity with a production that is guaranteed to entertain and delight.
Watch this space…full details on how this box was created will be released shortly.
October 10th, 2022
Falconer Print & Packaging, one of the UK’s leading carton manufacturers, has recently worked with MIXMY, a new-to-market fragrant candle producer, to create a luxury packaging solution for their collection of primary candles and refills.
MIXMY is an innovative new home fragrance concept enabling consumers to ‘mix and match’ primary fragrances together to create multiple ‘Scent Destination™’ combinations. There are five primary candles, which can be burnt singularly or alongside each other, and five refill options. The primary candles are presented in a bespoke 1kg glass container, which can be reused many times over; the candle refills come encased in packaging made from mycelium, a root-like organic fibre that is completely home-compostable.
Commenting on the cartons, Vicky said: “As Falconer had always provided outstanding service – both from a customer and end product perspective – the decision to use them to develop and produce my cartons was a no-brainer. I’m over the moon with the finished primary candle and primary candle refill cartons and inserts. They reflect the quality I was looking to achieve 100%, and play a huge part in the overall look and feel of the MIXMY brand and concept.”
Falconer’s Colin Pow added: “Working on this project really typifies what Falconer are all about – our customers get a solution focused personal approach that provides them with a service and product that is of the highest quality, while also creating real added-value. We wish Vicky and her MIXMY venture every success for the future.”
West Yorkshire-based Falconer Print & Packaging manufactures decorative printed folding cartons for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, drinks and spirits, giftware, healthcare, veterinary, petcare and luxury confectionery sectors. Incorporating high-quality added value finishes, combined with state-of-the-art equipment, the company has a reputation for delivering innovative packaging solutions combined with a high-quality service. 
October 10th, 2022
Leading carton manufacturer, Falconer, has designed and produced distinctive carton packaging for the Zymurgorium Group distillery. The stand-out packaging, created for the distiller’s latest innovation, Manquila – Queen of the Night liqueur, was released as a box gift set in September 2022.
Based in Irlam, Greater Manchester, Zymurgorium was launched in 2013 with a multi-million pound investment into the development of a new distillery and a state-of-the-art bottling line. Conducting all of its operations in-house, including distilling, bottling, warehouse, and office functions, the distiller is known for its distinctive industry innovations, including the world’s first Ruby Chocolate rum. One of their brands, Manquila, was launched by the distiller earlier this year. A wild strawberry cream liqueur with agave spirit from Mexico, it was created in response to market conditions caused by Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and other industry changes. More new flavours are planned for the future.
As an existing customer, Zymurgorium asked Falconer to design a suitable carton to accommodate the Manquila 70cl bottle and two branded shot glasses. The packaging had to incorporate a perfect balance of design and practicality, adequately showcasing the bottle and glasses, while maintaining uniqueness and a sophisticated appeal.
The carton was produced in crown prestige board, lithographic printed and finished with a high gloss varnish. Die-cut fitments secured both the bottle and shot glasses, with a large central aperture providing maximum visual impact. An initial order of 5000 packs was produced by Falconer.
“We chose Falconer due to their quality, reliability and excellent service that we have become used to over the years,” said Zymurgorium’s founding managing director, Aaron Darke. “We feel that the pack does its job flawlessly, displaying the bottle and glasses perfectly – the finish is also of excellent quality.
“We are always delighted to work with Falconer. Their ability to understand our vision and deliver exactly what we require is both consistent and outstanding.”
Falconer’s Colin Pow added: “With Zymurgorium’s drive to innovate with their spirits and liqueurs, it’s always great to receive a brief from them, knowing that they will also expect us to complement their creativity. There is an expectation of excellence from both sides which we recognise, hence the longevity of our working relationship.”
October 10th, 2022
Falconer was at London Packaging Week on 21 & 22 September at London Olympia. The show, which debuted its new ‘Packaging Week’ branding, provided us with a busy couple of days seeing new prospects and existing customers. On stand were Richard Martin, Colin Pow, Angela Simpson & Troy Kinney.
The new look event comprised of four exhibitions, including ‘Packaging Première’ for the luxury product market, where we had stand E26; PCD for perfume, makeup and toiletries; PLD for premium and luxury beverages; and Food & Consumer Pack for groceries.
Falconer has booked a stand for next year on 21st and 22nd September 2023, but this time London Packaging Week is moving to the ExCel exhibition centre in East London – bigger is better we’ve been told!
May 20th, 2022
Falconer are Looking to showing off our new innovations at the packaging Innovations Show at the NEC on the 25th/26th of May.
We are celebrating the Chinese year of the tiger with an addition to our Little Book of Inspiration, please visit the Home page to request your copy.