Cutty Sark is a brand of blended Scotch whisky, founded in 1923 by Berry Bros. & Rudd. Named after the legendary Tea Clipper ship – the fastest ship of its day – Cutty Sark is one of the most recognizable Scotch Whiskies in the world. Now the brand is the property of The Erdington Group.
Created in 1923, Cutty Sark is still one of the world’s most famous and best-selling scotches to this day. This whisky was created by Berry Brothers & Rudd, Hugh Rudd, and Francis Berry, and is an official supplier to the British Royal Court. In 1920 the companions came up with the idea to create the world’s first light blended whisky. This is how Cutty Sark came to be, named after one of the fastest ships in the world at the time. To this day, the label of the famous Scotch whisky is decorated with the image of that very sailing ship.
Scotch whisky quickly gained popularity in the United States, and after the abolition of Prohibition became the most purchased brand among spirits, Cutty Sark continues to maintain its leading position in the American market to this day.
The high quality of Cutty Sark whisky has been repeatedly recognized by leading experts. Thus, according to the rating of the latest edition of Jim Murray’s authoritative annual guidebook “The Whisky Bible”, Cutty Sark Original received 88 points out of 100 possible. Moreover, the Cutty Sark brand name can be found in many iconic literary and cinematic works of the 20th century.
The main part of The Cutty Sark logo is the image of the ship. James McBey, the well-known Scottish artist, was the one to design the first label and he also suggested the name. Since 1955 until now the ship on the logo is the works of Carl Wallin, artist from Sweden.
One more important thing about the Cutty Sark logo is it’s color. A bold yellow creates a higher degree of visibility and echoes the classic Cutty imagery of 1960’s – 1970’s.
Creative bureau Pearlfisher refreshed the brand’s package design. The green glass has been retained but now it has key brand messages embossed onto the bottle. The front of the bottle has the call to action, ‘Our actions define who we are’. In contrast, the back is dominated by a compass image surrounded by ‘The spirit of adventure’ which is the new core message for the brand.
The Scottish commercial sailboat “Cutty Sark”, which name comes from the witch of a British comic poem of the late eighteenth century, was the fastest of its kind and today is in dry dock in Greenwich, London.