Designer Tom Lane – AKA Ginger Monkey – has created the branding for Georgia-based Doc Brown Farm & Distillers, along with the packaging for its first two bourbon whiskeys, Effie Jewel and Uncle Bogue. Launching Doc Brown into the market, the visual identity draws on the family company’s heritage in Georgia farming and its traditional approach to distilling.
These factors are reflected in a hand-crafted logotype that takes its cues from Victorian and early-20th century signwriting and advertising, where each layer of copy is expressed in a different style. Within the mark, Lady Liberty waves the banner for family, faith and fortitude, with fun and feistiness reflected in the high heels she wears.
“There are so many things about Doc Brown Farm & Distillers that made this brand a joy to work on,” said Lane. “They grow their own grain and they mill, ferment and distil it themselves in Georgia, and the spirit matures in charred oak barrels made locally. It’s an evocative and authentic narrative with strong traditional values but also a lot of new thinking behind it.”
“Our products are sold and shipped all over the United States and the very first comments we get always relate to the bottle and label design,” says Amy Brown, co-founder of Doc Brown Farm & Distillers. “Even the retail store owners, who can be difficult at first to bring a new product in, agree to carry our products mainly due to how well they sit on the shelf and represent what’s inside the bottle,”
SIGNATURE BOURBON
Doc Brown’s first signature bourbon is Effie Jewel, a product named after and driven by the strong personality of co-founder Amy Brown’s great aunt, captured in the flowing script lettering and etched-style label illustration. This has been launched alongside Uncle Bogue, Doc Brown’s first special reserve bourbon – a single barrel of uncut, unfiltered bourbon, double oaked over four years. Great-great Uncle Bogue was a perfectionist and a man of taste, who ran the family farm a century ago.
“With each product, we reveal more about the history of the brand and we use these opportunities to build some personality,” said Lane. “This brand is about family, hard work, making great bourbon and having fun. Both spirits have been carefully crafted with great attention to detail as well, and our mission was to ensure the labels reflect that.”
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
Ginger Monkey has designed the Doc Brown Farm & Distillers brand identity not only to encapsulate its story and values, but to accommodate new product concepts as the company grows. After creating a brand toolkit which includes a set of custom display lettering for Doc Brown’s key messaging, in 2021 Ginger Monkey launched the Doc Brown website to introduce the brand and trail its products.
One of the main challenges for whiskey start-ups is establishing revenue streams while the spirits mature in their casks. In 2022, Ginger Monkey created the packaging for DBFD’s Bourbon Cream Liqueur in Coffee, Butter Pecan and Peppermint Mocha flavours. Salted Caramel followed in 2023.
More new product lines are planned for 2024, including Resurrection Red Bourbon, a new Uncle Bogue Special Reserve premium bourbon, and Day Swigger – a new line of naturally flavoured whiskeys.