MCQUEEN GIN

Producers of award-winning Premium Scottish Craft Gin, McQueen Gin is distinguished by unique flavours, exceptional quality and distinctive packaging.

The original blue packaging of McQueen Gin has since been internationally recognised, with the craft gin distillers winning many coveted awards for their hand-crafted, bespoke ceramic bottles, produced by Wade. In particular their Sweet Citrus Gin, one of 6 recipe variants in the range, has seen immense success, winning Best Brand Design and Silver in the Taste Category at the World Gin Awards 2018.

Not only do McQueen Gin have a traditional range of bottles to be representative of their individual brand, but together we have also crafted limited edition packaging that is still truly unique yet recognisable to the McQueen Gin brand. Now that, is the true craft of standing out.

Nelson's Gin

Another Staffordshire manufacturer we were proud to partner with was Nelson’s Gin – the only gin made on the Derbyshire and Staffordshire borders, its manufacture being a sophisticated 21st century version of a ‘cottage industry’.

The initial order of 10,000 white ceramic gin bottles was spread over three varieties, Rhubarb Gin, London Gin and Navy Strength, with the premium packaging complementing the gins on offer – some of the only ones to be made with fresh hops.

Both Wade and Nelson’s Gin were delighted to team up – not only because we’re so well suited, but also due to both brands helping to generate wealth in the region. However, having said that, certain challenges had to be overcome in production. The bespoke height of the bottles meant that our team was unable to fire using standard kilns. Instead, an innovative approach was required, and a taller, intermittent kiln was used for bisque and glazing. With these bottles, the results speak for themselves.

“From the word go we were very impressed with the service we received. To see the design of our bottle brought to life was amazing. Top marks to Paul and the team.”

Greg Kimber, Sales & Marketing Director

Castle Gin

Wade Ceramics was delighted to partner with Castle Gin – a locally inspired Staffordshire company like us – in the creation of their new ceramic bottle.

Castle Gin’s bottle takes inspiration from Mow Cop Castle which sits between the counties of Cheshire and Staffordshire. Their logo incorporates the silhouette of the castle as well as undistinguished botanical sprigs alluding to the secret ingredient recipe that is Castle Gin.

We ensured this local theme ran throughout by adding the essence of Staffordshire in the design and craftsmanship of the bottle, just as it is included in the gin by the locally sourced ingredients found on the beautiful nearby moors.

As a company based in the heart of Staffordshire, Wade Ceramics takes great pride in every spirits bottle we craft. This project in particular was a great opportunity for us to seal Castle Gin’s history with their own iconic branding.

Agent Provacatuer

Boots

Burberry

Cadburys

Bells

Harrods

Mr Men

NatWest

Let’s not underplay this: the NatWest piggy bank promotion is still the most successful banking promotion, ever, in the UK.

The thinking behind the project was to promote the opening of children’s accounts by giving a free piggy bank as an incentive. Perfectly striking a chord with parents across the country, hundreds of thousands of accounts were subsequently opened – all so kids could get their hands on one of these collectables.

The hollow piggy banks were designed by Wade to be case and hand-decorated, with over a million being produced during the 1980s. In the end, unfortunately, the promotion was a victim of its own success – consuming all of the available promotional budget and eventually being stopped.

The scheme was relaunched in 1997 with a character called Cousin Wesley, who was devised as a free gift upon opening a children’s bond of £1000.

Premier Foods

Rovers Return

Tetley

 In 1990 Wade Ceramics was commissioned by Tetley Tea to design a ceramic range of their famous Tetley Tea Folk. As stars of the tea company’s TV ads, these characters needed little introduction to the nation. So it was down to us to faithfully reproduce them – and turn the figures into a collectable set.

Being experienced in projects like this, it proved to be another successful range. The products were cast and hand-painted by Wade, with tens of thousands of figures being produced over a ten year period.

Not only did the Tetley Tea Folk range promote and encourage sales with on-pack promotions and direct sales of the figures, but the collection also became highly sought after. There are some instances of the figures and money boxes still being sold today!

Williamson Tea

D.R. Harris

D.R. Harris was established in 1790, and their gentleman’s grooming products and wide range of unisex haircare products, skincare lines and soaps have been enjoyed by families and distinguished individuals ever since.

Recognised with three Royal Warrants as Chemists – to Her Majesty the Queen Mother in 1938, to HRH the Prince of Wales in 2002, and to Her Majesty the Queen for Pharmacist and Pharmacy Supplies in 2012 – there can be little doubt that D.R. Harris is a manufacturer of the utmost distinction.

For their bestselling Arlington cologne, we focused on creating a 100ml ceramic bottle using an intricate print to decorate the product. It’s a great example of the type of projects Wade can deliver. Our print suppliers can work with almost any artwork to produce a stunning final piece – practical, beautiful and making a statement which completely sets it apart.

“When we envisaged our new fragrance bottles, we saw them as standing out – both on retail shelves and on dressing tables. The team at Wade did not let us down. From prototype to finished product, we were very happy with everything. Highly recommended. ”

Julian Moore, Head of Sales and Marketing

The Famous Grouse

Having produced various decanters for The Famous Grouse since 1993, Wade was commissioned in 2011 to create something special to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the brand.

We worked closely with the design agency, Lewis Moberly, over a 6 month period to ensure that the brand integrity was maintained from concept, to development and into production. This was achieved with Wade sourcing and managing all production aspects of the decanter, print and artwork supply.

The Famous Grouse porcelain decanter was gilded in 24 Carat Gold. It depicts the red grouse in its natural habitat; a representation of the ‘Summer in the Highlands’ painting by the Scottish artist Stanley Todd.

The product was cast and hand decorated by Wade with 30,000 being produced. It was designed to promote the brand in overseas markets being re-usable to further encourage sales.

Johnnie Walker

For the launch of Johnnie Walker House in Shanghai – a four story house used to market Scottish whisky to Chinese consumers and tell the story of the brand’s history through interactive installation made from materials used in the whisky-making process – Wade worked with Diageo and creative agency LOVE in designing the Johnnie Walker 1910 Commemorative Edition bottle.

As a series of commemorative edition bottles, this told the story, in print, of the Johnnie Walker whisky brand and its passage from Scotland to China running around and across seven bottles.

Referencing the Chinese decorative style of blue and white porcelain, the Johnnie Walker Blue brand was a “for sale by invitation only” blend, with only 1,000 bottles being created for the House.

The design won a coveted D&AD yellow pencil award in 2012. Originally intended solely for the Shanghai experience, the project was so successful that it has been developed further and taken to Mumbai, Seoul, Taiwan as well as Schipol Airport.

Royal Salute Whisky

A family of blended whiskies targeted at export markets around the world, Royal Salute was originally launched in 1953 to commemorate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

With the use of ceramic to produce luxury, commemorative decanters well-established, we’ve enjoyed a working relationship with the whisky makers Chivas Brothers since 1982, producing our take on luxury ceramic decanters for the Royal Salute brand.

Initially with 23 products and variants in the range, in 2003 we designed and produced a limited edition, 50-year-old whisky to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, of which only 225 were made.

This commemorative decanter had a solid silver gilt badge, sourced by Wade. Bringing the ceramic and metal together was no mean feat, with the skill and dedication of the team being tested to the limits. They managed to overcome the technical challenges and successfully complete the task to the highest of standards. Standards befitting of a Queen.