The Islay Launch
September 2026
Studio Minerva x Master of Malt
We’re incredibly excited to introduce The Islay, a new whisky brand created in partnership with Master of Malt.
Born from a chance conversation at an industry event, The Islay brings together Studio Minerva’s expertise in brand positioning, storytelling and design with Master of Malt’s deep knowledge of liquid and whisky craft. What began with a handshake quickly became a shared ambition to create something truly distinctive.
A love letter to Islay
The Islay is a celebration of the island as a whole - its landscape, geology, history, people and culture.
Rather than telling the story of a single distillery, the brand puts Islay itself at the heart of the story, creating a world designed to resonate with established whisky lovers while inviting a new generation of drinkers into the category.
The identity is modern and understated, moving away from familiar whisky clichés while remaining deeply connected to place - from stone-effect closures inspired by the island’s geology to the coordinates incorporated into the packaging.
A new approach to single cask whisky
The Islay introduces a continuous single cask format. Every bottle comes from one individual cask, but when that cask is gone, the series moves on to the next - retaining the same age statement and strength while celebrating the unique character of each barrel.
The inaugural collection takes inspiration from Islay’s ancient geology: Basalt for the 16-Year-Old, Red Sandstone for the 20-Year-Old and Quartzite for the 30-Year-Old.
Purposeful & Beautiful
At Studio Minerva, we hold that the strongest brands treat personal style as the product itself, not a layer applied afterward. In a category this crowded, looking distinctive for a season is not enough; the brands pulling ahead are those whose identity is legible in an instant and genuinely worth opting into, built on a clear read of category, consumer and moment, executed with real purpose.
That is what we bring to every project. If you are working on something in this space, or considering it, we would love to talk - hello@studiominerva.co.uk
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