STORYTELLING

Jacob's Pardon

Client

Palm Bay International

Services

Branding, Website, Storytelling, Content Production

Background

We transformed Jacob’s Pardon’s story of bootlegging, rebellion and redemption into a complete campaign world – from strategy and 3D visualisation to film, photography and digital.

Rooted in a real American family legacy shaped by Prohibition and a presidential pardon from Roosevelt, Jacob’s Pardon was preparing to enter the mainstream American whiskey market. Working with Palm Bay International and the Taub family, we built the launch from story to screen to shelf: the positioning, campaign idea, key visual, 3D visualisation, Behind the Blend film, product photography and a mobile-first digital experience. 

The challenge was to make the bourbon’s history matter without letting it overshadow the whiskey. There was just one complication: the bottle did not exist yet.



Background

We transformed Jacob’s Pardon’s story of bootlegging, rebellion and redemption into a complete campaign world – from strategy and 3D visualisation to film, photography and digital.

Rooted in a real American family legacy shaped by Prohibition and a presidential pardon from Roosevelt, Jacob’s Pardon was preparing to enter the mainstream American whiskey market. Working with Palm Bay International and the Taub family, we built the launch from story to screen to shelf: the positioning, campaign idea, key visual, 3D visualisation, Behind the Blend film, product photography and a mobile-first digital experience. 

The challenge was to make the bourbon’s history matter without letting it overshadow the whiskey. There was just one complication: the bottle did not exist yet.



Background

We transformed Jacob’s Pardon’s story of bootlegging, rebellion and redemption into a complete campaign world – from strategy and 3D visualisation to film, photography and digital.

Rooted in a real American family legacy shaped by Prohibition and a presidential pardon from Roosevelt, Jacob’s Pardon was preparing to enter the mainstream American whiskey market. Working with Palm Bay International and the Taub family, we built the launch from story to screen to shelf: the positioning, campaign idea, key visual, 3D visualisation, Behind the Blend film, product photography and a mobile-first digital experience. 

The challenge was to make the bourbon’s history matter without letting it overshadow the whiskey. There was just one complication: the bottle did not exist yet.



Before the Bottle

Taking the final packaging files, we built a 3D render, then used AI and motion graphics to turn the static model into a dynamic asset. This acted as a stand-in for the real bottle across campaign development and early launch materials before the physical product arrived.

Before the Bottle

Taking the final packaging files, we built a 3D render, then used AI and motion graphics to turn the static model into a dynamic asset. This acted as a stand-in for the real bottle across campaign development and early launch materials before the physical product arrived.

Before the Bottle

Taking the final packaging files, we built a 3D render, then used AI and motion graphics to turn the static model into a dynamic asset. This acted as a stand-in for the real bottle across campaign development and early launch materials before the physical product arrived.

Creative Approach

We worked closely with Palm Bay International and the brand owners to define the target consumer, the competition and what would make Jacob’s Pardon worth choosing. We then brought its Prohibition-era heritage together with the craftsmanship of the new four-grain bourbon to create a distinctive world.  

The key visual, launch messaging and campaign utilised archival cues, including the pardon document and textured, heritage-inspired design alongside modern copy that celebrates American resilience and the uncompromising pursuit of quality. The idea at its heart: PROOF DEFIANCE PAYS OFF.


Creative Approach

We worked closely with Palm Bay International and the brand owners to define the target consumer, the competition and what would make Jacob’s Pardon worth choosing. We then brought its Prohibition-era heritage together with the craftsmanship of the new four-grain bourbon to create a distinctive world.  

The key visual, launch messaging and campaign utilised archival cues, including the pardon document and textured, heritage-inspired design alongside modern copy that celebrates American resilience and the uncompromising pursuit of quality. The idea at its heart: PROOF DEFIANCE PAYS OFF.


Creative Approach

We worked closely with Palm Bay International and the brand owners to define the target consumer, the competition and what would make Jacob’s Pardon worth choosing. We then brought its Prohibition-era heritage together with the craftsmanship of the new four-grain bourbon to create a distinctive world.  

The key visual, launch messaging and campaign utilised archival cues, including the pardon document and textured, heritage-inspired design alongside modern copy that celebrates American resilience and the uncompromising pursuit of quality. The idea at its heart: PROOF DEFIANCE PAYS OFF.


Behind the Blend

Behind the blend is Paul Pacult, one of America’s most respected whiskey authorities and blenders. But we had no footage, just a handful of low-resolution images – and a fast turnaround. Rather than disguise those limitations with a conventional corporate film, we built around them.

We scripted and storyboarded a fast-paced story around Paul: why he chose to work with Marc and Jake Taub, how he approaches blending and what makes Jacob’s Pardon worth his name. Using an approved AI recreation of Paul’s voice, stock, 3D animation, motion graphics, typography, sound design and AI – seeing Paul swirling, sniffing, tasting – we turned limited material into an engaging short film with personality. 

The film honed in on the process and made people believe in the whiskey because Paul does: “After 37 years evaluating thousands of whiskeys, I know: great whiskey starts with a compelling story. Every barrel has a voice. My role is to make them speak as one.”


Behind the Blend

Behind the blend is Paul Pacult, one of America’s most respected whiskey authorities and blenders. But we had no footage, just a handful of low-resolution images – and a fast turnaround. Rather than disguise those limitations with a conventional corporate film, we built around them.

We scripted and storyboarded a fast-paced story around Paul: why he chose to work with Marc and Jake Taub, how he approaches blending and what makes Jacob’s Pardon worth his name. Using an approved AI recreation of Paul’s voice, stock, 3D animation, motion graphics, typography, sound design and AI – seeing Paul swirling, sniffing, tasting – we turned limited material into an engaging short film with personality. 

The film honed in on the process and made people believe in the whiskey because Paul does: “After 37 years evaluating thousands of whiskeys, I know: great whiskey starts with a compelling story. Every barrel has a voice. My role is to make them speak as one.”


Behind the Blend

Behind the blend is Paul Pacult, one of America’s most respected whiskey authorities and blenders. But we had no footage, just a handful of low-resolution images – and a fast turnaround. Rather than disguise those limitations with a conventional corporate film, we built around them.

We scripted and storyboarded a fast-paced story around Paul: why he chose to work with Marc and Jake Taub, how he approaches blending and what makes Jacob’s Pardon worth his name. Using an approved AI recreation of Paul’s voice, stock, 3D animation, motion graphics, typography, sound design and AI – seeing Paul swirling, sniffing, tasting – we turned limited material into an engaging short film with personality. 

The film honed in on the process and made people believe in the whiskey because Paul does: “After 37 years evaluating thousands of whiskeys, I know: great whiskey starts with a compelling story. Every barrel has a voice. My role is to make them speak as one.”


Photography

Designed by Stranger & Stranger, the Jacob’s Pardon bottle is packed with detail. Rather than treating photography as an ecommerce box to tick, we 

made the bottle’s craftsmanship part of the story. Alongside essential pack shots, we captured its embossed and printed details, the texture and weight of the packaging and the deep amber bourbon within. Light, shadow, glass and liquid became part of the visual language.

The result was a versatile photography library that worked across launch materials, digital, social, advertising and future storytelling.


Photography

Designed by Stranger & Stranger, the Jacob’s Pardon bottle is packed with detail. Rather than treating photography as an ecommerce box to tick, we 

made the bottle’s craftsmanship part of the story. Alongside essential pack shots, we captured its embossed and printed details, the texture and weight of the packaging and the deep amber bourbon within. Light, shadow, glass and liquid became part of the visual language.

The result was a versatile photography library that worked across launch materials, digital, social, advertising and future storytelling.


Photography

Designed by Stranger & Stranger, the Jacob’s Pardon bottle is packed with detail. Rather than treating photography as an ecommerce box to tick, we 

made the bottle’s craftsmanship part of the story. Alongside essential pack shots, we captured its embossed and printed details, the texture and weight of the packaging and the deep amber bourbon within. Light, shadow, glass and liquid became part of the visual language.

The result was a versatile photography library that worked across launch materials, digital, social, advertising and future storytelling.


Landing Page

By launch, all the pieces of the Jacob’s Pardon world were in place. It was time to bring them together in a mobile-first landing page designed for the curious whiskey drinker. Instead of unloading a century of history at once, we created layers of discovery: first capturing attention through the bottle and campaign creative, then inviting visitors deeper into the extraordinary story, the bourbon and the people behind it.

Landing Page

By launch, all the pieces of the Jacob’s Pardon world were in place. It was time to bring them together in a mobile-first landing page designed for the curious whiskey drinker. Instead of unloading a century of history at once, we created layers of discovery: first capturing attention through the bottle and campaign creative, then inviting visitors deeper into the extraordinary story, the bourbon and the people behind it.

Landing Page

By launch, all the pieces of the Jacob’s Pardon world were in place. It was time to bring them together in a mobile-first landing page designed for the curious whiskey drinker. Instead of unloading a century of history at once, we created layers of discovery: first capturing attention through the bottle and campaign creative, then inviting visitors deeper into the extraordinary story, the bourbon and the people behind it.

Dos Maderas
Dos Maderas
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