Bowmore Tasting Cask
Beam Suntory
BeamSuntory, a global leader in premium spirits, and their strategy partners Create Future, approached Nakatomi to craft a high-end whisky tasting experience for Global Travel Retail (GTR) environments. The goal was to create a space where customers could embark on their own journey of discovery — exploring the depths of whisky on their own.
Services
- Creative Development
- Design
- Robotics
- Build
Designing the immersive tasting journey.
BeamSuntory chose Bowmore, one of their premium Islay whisky brands, as the centerpiece for the experience.
Bowmore’s brand line, “The Art of Time,” emphasises the meticulous craft and process involved in creating their exceptional whisky.
We developed several iterations of an experiential whisky tasting machine, drawing inspiration from elements like mash tuns, spirit safes, and raw materials such as charred hardwood and granite. To ensure the interactivity remained tactile and immersive, we avoided touch screens — instead opting for controls inspired by the start buttons of luxury cars.
The final design is a monolithic cylinder — simple in form but intricate in detail. Our goal was to make every interaction feel magical. Create Future also designed a tasting journey questionnaire, linking flavour profiles with environmental cues to enhance the experience.
Building a symphony of light and liquid.
The user interface is unconventional, featuring a commercial LG transparent OLED display to visualise the questionnaire and deliver the UI. Large glass cylinders contain the liquids for dispensing, while a motorised cylindrical ring moves the cylinders, creating the sensation that the machine is ‘thinking’ about serving the best product for you. By adjusting the interior lighting’s brightness, we crafted the illusion of the screen disappearing after each answered question.
At the end of the tasting experience, users are invited to open the entire front of the machine, reach inside, and sample a dram of Bowmore whisky that has been specially selected for them.
The tasting cask is currently located at Heathrow Terminal 5. It will tour various locations around the world over the next few years.
