Hooghoudt wanted to tell the incredibly rich history of a spirit known in Holland and Belgium. The story of a spirit that conquored the world, but became forgotten… But how could they tell a story in which they exist only a short period of time? Right: through a new brand, focussing on the time before Hooghoudt even existed. 

 

We created the brand De Borgen: the name and visual identity derived directly from old fortresses around Groningen, the home base of Hooghoudt. From three types of historical Genever spirits, bottles, historical contexts, and based on our extensive historical research, we created three unique eras for the old 16th, the rich 17th-18th, and the botanical19th century. Each completely different, but all sharing the same ambition to revive history for the connaisseur. We also did the communication design, so Genever gets told in seducing and understandable way. 

 

While the range was initially made to conquer the export market, the products became recognized locally as well for traditional drinking and professional bartending.