Born on the legendary grounds of Slane Castle, County Meath, Slane Irish Whiskey is a unique, triple-casked whiskey blend inspired by 1,000 years of resilience and reinvention in the Boyne Valley.

With Slane Distillery built within the 300-year-old horse stables adjacent to iconic Slane Castle, the estate’s local heritage and musical history were seamlessly married. Since 1981, Slane Castle has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to its grounds for its celebrated concerts. Quite the musical who’s who, from The Rolling Stones to Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie to U2, Queen, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Iggy Pop and plenty more in between, the Boyne Valley is well used to those about to rock.

One of the largest American-owned companies in the wine/spirits industry, bigO has been working with Brown Forman and Slane Irish Whiskey for the past three years. This partnership was made with the aim of creating, shooting and editing compelling video content that internationally elevates the emerging brand. The vibrant video and photographic content bigO produced has been used in social, website and print campaigns, and also as audio visual content within the distillery visitor centre itself. An exploration of this modern yet storied distillery presents the visitor with visual cues from bigO on dynamic interactive video screens. Showcasing the voices of the Boyne Valley’s people, who explain the beauty of its local produce, the video content also features brand ambassadors and member of Slane Castle’s family dynasty, Alex and Henry Conyngham.

Capturing timeless stills for Slane Irish Whiskey to use for PR, online and print has been a significant part of our role with the brand. Over the last few years, bigO has worked on large scale shoots with photographer Kevin Griffin to produce enticing brand product shots, and with photographer Allen Kiely (among other talented photographers) to capture lively event imagery. The challenge of creating strong brand photography while remaining cool enough for the the younger yet discerning target audience was always factored into bigO’s shooting style.

Hitting all the right notes for large scale TV ads, mini social campaigns and audio visual content for the distillery visitor centre, bigO’s video content focused on creating crisp and smooth visuals that mirrored the very nature of Slane Whiskey. People react to people so we shone a spotlight on the kith and kin that has been at the centre of Slane Castle for generations, the Conynghams. With a fascinating family, rich in heritage, at our disposal, we crafted compelling stories intended to pique the interest of the public in this ‘new kid on the malt’.

With video campaigns featuring content around St. Patrick’s Day, the infamous Slane concerts, Christmas, airport launches and brand ads to name a few, the versatility and strength of the work bigO captured always shone through. The challenge of scaling up and down depending on the campaign’s needs while consistently remaining true to the brand integrity, featured heavily in the creative process. Whether shooting for TV or Instagram, bigO always chose to shoot in 4k and with teams of super talented directors of photography, drone operators, editors and motion graphics wizards.

The exceptional result was impeccable work that stands the test of time for a burgeoning brand that prides itself on its impeccable taste.