Distilling a new brand in a new category.

As the geographical center of the path of totality during the 2017 solar eclipse, Hopkinsville, Kentucky had a massive influx of visitors. Which was great news for local moonshine makers Casey Jones Distillery. The surge in tourists resulted in a surge in both visibility and sales, especially of their special-edition Total Eclipse Moonshine. They knew that in order to sustain and grow that momentum, they needed help evolving their brand.

Casey Jones Distillery initially approached us to redesign their packaging. But we knew that we could do much more. Casey Jones Moonshine is a premium product in a non premium category. Research revealed that most consumers had neutral to negative associations with moonshine, so it would take more than new packaging to change the way consumers think of the product. We also wanted to increase traffic at the distillery itself and, most importantly, make them more visible and valuable to their distributor. As their primary customer, the distributor controls the product’s availability and in store placement for consumers.

To position Casey Jones Moonshine as a premium heritage product that’s for everyday use, we had to make it about more than water, corn and sugar. We had to tell the rich story of Casey Jones, the original king of the Prohibition-era Kentucky stillmakers, and his grandson, Master Distiller Arlon “A.J.” Jones. We did this with new identity and packaging, a new website featuring craft cocktail recipes, new print and collateral, new distillery signage and a strategic presentation to their distributor.

Six months after unveiling the new packaging and launching the new marketing campaign, sales were up 17.5%. The distillery itself has seen significant growth in event bookings as well as tourist traffic. And most importantly, their distributor agreed to reduce their commission and give Casey Jones Moonshine priority in-store placement.

We’ll drink to that!