Woodinville Whiskey

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Woodinville Whiskey

Woodinville Whiskey

Two best friends and a dream

Crafting a local brand story

Overview

The Pacific Northwest is no stranger to Woodinville Whiskey Co. The line streaming outside the tasting room with every new release (along with all the awards) is evidence of its cult following. But that’s just the top left corner of the country. In order to grow into national distribution, Woodinville needed to stand out broadly in a crowded craft whiskey market. So, we bellied up to the bar to zero in on what makes Woodinville stand alone.

Client name

Woodinville Whiskey

Discipline

brand, campaign

Approach

If you pick up a bottle of Woodinville Whiskey’s Flagship Bourbon and read the description, you’ll see this quote: “They said it couldn’t be done. So, we did it.” That, we felt, is a hell of a starting point for a brand voice. Somewhere in there, in this underdog sentiment and resolve, is the Woodinville Whiskey Co. story.

To start fleshing it out, we went full immersion, learning their world from distillery to farm to tasting glass. Along the way it hit us that the secret ingredient and catalyst of success for Woodinville boiled down to one thing: connections.

Brett and Orlin, two best friends bonding with (and saving) local farms to make the country’s best craft whiskey. That’s special. It’s a story of putting everything on the line. It’s about passion and joy that are contagious—for their partners, their employees, and their customers. Those earnest connections ultimately make for a bottle of whiskey made with love. But beyond that, those connections create a shared sense of drive and determination. That is, with a company built around connections, anything is possible. That’s how Woodinville Whiskey Co., and it’s two underdog distillers, did what couldn’t be done. This is how we’d set them apart.

Solution

To share Woodinville’s sense of connection, we started with an emotionally driven brand anthem video. It’s a story of underdogs, of master distillers and expert farmers finding a symbotic relationship to create the perfect bottle of whiskey.

Going deeper, we launched two profile videos—one about Brett and Orlin and another about the Omlin family farm—that express the special relationships at the heart of Woodinville Whiskey Co. and frame it as a brand built around quality, goodwill, and local ingredients.

Finally, we ended with a set of instructional videos, built for deeper engagement, that highlight the craft and quality that goes into each of their flagship products.

Seven videos in all to tell a well-rounded story of the principles behind the products and the products behind the principles.

Results

Our videos helped to define Woodinville Whiskey’s brand voice at a level they hadn’t achieved before, and they’re still being used to introduce their brand in new markets around the country.

In fact, Woodinville Whiskey Co. bottles can now be purchased as far east as Florida. And there are no signs of it slowing down.

What’s more, the videos continue to play in PNW tasting rooms for customers to view as they taste Woodville’s flagship products.

The videos turned out incredible and are a perfect representation of Woodinville. You nailed it. We’ve received tremendous feedback from our teams and leadership throughout the country. And I still get choked up when I watch the Omlin video for the 10th time!”

Orlin Sorensen

 Co-Founder Woodinville Whiskey Co.

From Woodinville to the World

Our production team captured the emotional and authentic story of the people, place, and product behind Woodinville Whiskey Co. The following behind-the-scenes photos highlight our team's artistry and dedication, showcasing the moments that brought this extraordinary story to life.

Credits

Executive Creative Director

Chris Elliot

Executive Producer

Aidan Martin

Director of Photography

Aaron Russell

Cinematographer

Cody Brown

Creative Director 

Colin McKeveny

Associate Creative Director

Sam Farquharson

Senior Video Editor

Ryan Rigley

Director

Duane Shrode

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