Pol Roger, a notable champagne house recognised for its association with Winston Churchill, has an exemplary pedigree. Besides champagne the company markets many other brands from its UK offices in Hereford, two in particular are Hine (Cognac) and Glenfarclas (Whisky).
In 2012, James Simpson, the Sales & Marketing Director of Pol Roger, approached N.E.J. Stevenson Ltd and asked if we could help out with some ‘nice boxes’ for a project they had in mind for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. 125 pairs of a 1953 Hine cognac and a 1953 Glenfarclas whisky to commemorate Her Majesty The Queen’s Coronation were to be marketed.
Neil Stevenson began to research the project aims and together with James they looked at ways of developing the unique luxury packaging which would add further value to an already exciting project in the luxury drinks market.
Unusually, the bottle’s packaging would not need to be emblazoned with corporate branding and therefore presented Neil with a ‘blank canvas’. This meant the company could develop what was in effect a small piece of bespoke cabinetry and therefore perfect for displaying these special vintages, in even the grandest of locations. Neil and James set out to design a ‘box’ which would have a value in its own right and add to the desirability of the complete package.
The choice of an obelisk was driven by two elements, firstly the requirement to move away from a basic box construction but still to be able to completely encase a bottle, and secondly, the need to have an imposing and elegant shape. Obelisks have historically been used to demonstrate power and importance both in pairs and singularly and their imposing grandeur was felt to be a fitting adjunct to these two unique brands.
The obelisks are made in two sections from English oak and secured using earth magnets. The upper tall tapering shaft hides the bottle neck, whilst the lower square pedestal hides the bottle base. When both sections are separated they reveal either of the two numbered bottles of rare 1953 Hine or 1953 Glenfarclas vintage malt. Each obelisk features a secret drawer faced with either oak from the 1953 Hine or 1953 Glenfarclas casks.
