Context
The whisky category is built on heritage, tradition and often male-dominated storytelling. For Nc’nean, a female-founded, nature-led, sustainably run distillery, this created a challenge: how do you earn credibility in a category defined by legacy, while proudly doing things differently?
The challenge wasn’t awareness alone, it was perception. Nc’nean needed to be taken seriously while trailblazing a new kind of whisky brand: progressive, purpose-driven and quietly rebellious.
Strategic Insight
By leaning into its nature-led ethos and quiet rebellion with founder, Annabel Thomas as its voice, Nc’nean could redefine what authority looks like in the category.
Profiling Annabel became the strategic lever: a human story that embodied doing things differently, and made Nc’nean’s values tangible for media and audiences.
Creative Concept
We put the founder at the centre of the story – not as a spokesperson, but as the embodiment of a new, nature-led whisky movement, open to everyone.
Through a targeted profiling strategy across business, lifestyle and drinks media, we told one consistent story: a female founder quietly rewriting the rules – building a sustainable distillery from the ground up and challenging industry norms without shouting about it.
We activated this through a targeted profiling strategy to secure a series of high-quality features, interviews and thought leadership pieces, allowing audiences to encounter Nc’nean as a brand that does things differently – with quiet confidence.
Full Colour
Result One:
Redefining whisky authority
Shifted perception from ‘new entrant’ to credible industry voice, with top-tier features positioning Annabel as a leading figure in modern whisky.
Result Two:
Founder-led fame
Secured consistent, high-quality profiling across UK and US media in national, business and lifestyle titles, amplifying personal and brand storytelling.
Result Three:
Modern whisky momentum
Built sustained visibility that reinforced Nc’nean’s distinct positioning – making whisky more accessible – driving stronger recognition and consideration beyond traditional whisky audiences.