Holyrood Distillery: Arrival — Immersive Brand Experience, Edinburgh

When Holyrood Distillery launched Arrival — Edinburgh's first single malt whisky in over a century — the occasion demanded more than a conventional product launch. We transformed the distillery's historic listed building, once the terminal of the Innocent Railway, into a multi-sensory immersive experience that told the story of the whisky, the place, and the people behind it.

Using a fusion of custom animation, projection mapping, holographic techniques, and bespoke soundscapes, we created four distinct chapters — Heritage, Speciality, Yeast, and People — each woven into the fabric of the building's unique architecture, guiding visitors through the distillery's story from its roots to its revival.

Arrival was recognised with a Bronze Award for Experiential Design at the Creativepool Annual 2024.

Our Role
Creative Direction
Experiential Design
Projection Mapping
Video Production

Four chapters. One story. A landmark moment in Edinburgh's whisky heritage.

Each chapter of the experience was designed to immerse visitors in a different dimension of the distillery's identity. Heritage drew on historical photography and archival imagery to root the brand in Edinburgh's rich whisky past. Speciality and Yeast explored the craft and science at the heart of the distilling process, brought to life through abstract animation and projection. People celebrated the human stories behind the brand — the makers, the founders, and the community that brought Holyrood back to life.

Throughout, the installations worked in harmony with the listed building rather than against it — the architecture becoming part of the storytelling, not just a backdrop to it. Audio design by Warpro Productions completed the experience, ensuring every space had its own distinct atmosphere.