Project Description

Rademon Estate Distillery is the first craft gin distillery to be established in Northern Ireland. The distillery was founded in 2012 by husband and wife team Fiona and David Boyd-Armstrong, it is located just outside Crossgar, County Down, Northern Ireland on the couples historic family estate.

Inspired by the distillery's historic surroundings, the design team at Belfast based agency Paperjam wanted to generate a name for the couple's first gin with a focus on their location and heritage. The name Shortcross came from the Gaelic for Crossgar "An Chrois Ghearr" meaning "the short cross". It had history and heritage naturally associated with it and for David and Fiona it had meaning as it subtly referenced the location of their distillery.

With the selected name finalised for the couple's first gin product, Paperjam then began to create a visual style for the branding and packaging that reflected the quality and uniqueness of their gin and would appeal to a high-end market. The label documents the distillation process by openly displaying the batch number, flavour and alcohol content. This, along with a signature in handwritten type, helps emphasise the one-of-a-kind artisan product and the craftsmanship that goes into each bottle of gin.

Paperjam focused on the heritage associated with the name "Shortcross" and after some research discovered the short cross penny. The coin dates back to the 10th century and was one of the most successful English coin designs in history. Paperjam sourced an original coin and took high-resolution scans to incorporate into the gins branding and packaging.

The couple selected a traditional bottle shape with a heavy base, giving the additional feeling of a high end, premium product. Paperjam really wanted this product to stand out on a shelf and in the very competitive gin market by designing a label that would reinforce the quality of this premium gin. To add an additional level of uniqueness the finished label is applied to each bottle of gin by hand. And as a final finishing touch, each bottle is dipped in black wax.

Shortcross Gin was successfully launched in May 2014 as the first small batch, craft gin distillery in Northern Ireland and now has listings in leading bars and restaurants across the country.