Plymouth Gin design challenge winner announced
Lewis McCulloch Ryan has been announced as the winner of a design challenge to create a new iconic drinking vessel for Plymouth Gin, scooping a £1,000 prize fund.
The competition, a collaboration with Plymouth College of Art, saw 15 design student finalists compete during a live final at the gin distillery.
Known for supporting local makers in Plymouth city, the iconic gin brand has tasked the design students with an exciting brief that would help inspire creativity.
Expert judges including blogger Ruth Matthews of ‘Design Soda’ and the ‘Amateur Mixologist’ Matt Hollidge travelled from London to help Master Distiller Sean Harrison and Brand Director Karen Ehlirch from Plymouth Gin to pick a winner.
Each design was judged on the inspiration behind the vessel and how it best represented the authentic and hand-crafted gin.
The Coastline vessel was inspired from the Ocean City’s coastline paired with stainless steel that can be sourced from old warships and submarines when old steel gets put onto the open market from the Royal Navy.
Sean Harrison, Plymouth Gin’s Master Distiller said: “The creativity expressed throughout this competition has been incredibly impressive. It’s exciting to see how local makers interpret their city and the spirit of Plymouth Gin.
"Although we are renowned internationally, we still produce gin in the heart of Plymouth so it’s exciting to have developed this new drinking vessel design with local talent.”
Lewis McCulloch Ryan said: “Being named winner of the design competition is a real honour. Every design student wants to push themselves creatively and this opportunity also gave me a chance to show how I interpret my hometown of Plymouth as a city.
"I was inspired from the Ocean City’s coastline paired with stainless steel that can be sourced from old warships and submarines when old steel gets put onto the open market from the Royal Navy.”
Plymouth Gin is a silky, citrus led and smooth gin, created by pioneer makers in 1793, in England. Today, a small team of artisan makers continue to produce this unique gin using the same recipe that was used 225 years. To get to this balanced taste, the makers hand select the 7 botanicals that goes into the recipe one by one and distil them in one single copper still.
Follow Plymouth Gin @homeofplymouthgin or www.plymouthgin.com
