The Groundbreaker

Single malt Scotch whisky brand, The Glenlivet, has launched a new limited edition whisky in collaboration with Chinese-Malaysian artist Red Hong Yi, exclusively for travellers.

Travel is the central theme of Chapter One of the new collection, entitled “The Journey Inwards”. With idea creation and artist management by creative agency Impero, it draws on the spirit of adventure that defines The Glenlivet brand and Hong Yi’s personal journey of global artistic discovery. The campaign will run across Global Travel Retail (GTR) in airports worldwide.

Created in collaboration with Hong Yi,“The Journey Inwards” launches with a hero film, also by Impero that breaks today. Echoing the sense of mystery and beauty that is so intrinsic to The Glenlivet product and Hong Yi’s work, viewers follow the artist’s journey across the world, ending at The Glenlivet’s distillery.

Shot across multiple locations, in multiple countries, the Impero creative team stitched the visual narrative together, combining a collection of satellite images with drone footage across shoot locations in Malaysia and Scotland to create one seamless camera move. The viewer is taken from above the clouds down to street level, and once on the ground, a dynamic camera style conveys a constant flow of movement throughout.

The Groundbreaker Chapter One campaign aims to speak to a new generation of adventurous free-thinkers with rich storytelling and a shared love of travel, discovery and creativity to drive the conversation and share of voice. Moving beyond the outdated stereotypes of who can enjoy whisky, this collection will inspire new consumers by introducing the story behind The Glenlivet, and enticing audiences with boundary-breaking artistic narratives.

For The Groundbreaker Collection, The Glenlivet have collaborated with Red Hong Yi, as a featured artist.

Renowned for her groundbreaking technique of "painting without a brush," the artist uses fire to char red pigment paper. Hong Yi’s travels and artistic style also heavily inspired the flavour profile of the limited edition whisky, which captures the most distinctive aspects of her challenging artwork. Aged in charred American Oak casks to represent fire and to provide deep layers of notes of vanilla toffee and creamy butterscotch, The liquid was also aged in European red wine casks, for rich notes of wild berries and dried fruits, adding hues of Hong Yi’s signature red colour, so central to her work.

The Groundbreaker Collection is an exclusive travel retail collection, issued for two years, providing adventurers with a premium and unique way to mark their journeys. The distinctive concept, in collaboration with Red Hong Yi, will be spotlighted in experiential and digital activations.

The Groundbreaker Series will continue to celebrate artists who, like The Glenlivet, break new ground. Hong Yi’s collaboration with The Glenlivet invites whisky lovers to embark on their own journey of discovery.