Scottish lager giant Tennent’s has revealed its first new Tennent’s Lager can design in five years.
The Glasgow-based brewer worked with global creative partners, Thirst, to create a new brand visual identity that was “modern yet reflected the brand’s heritage in a way that would stand out now and for years to come”.
The project aimed to build on Wellpark Brewery’s historic place in Scottish culture as one of Scotland’s oldest businesses and the founder of Scotland’s original pilsner - which has been brewed on the same site since 1885.
Records show that members of the Tennent family were brewing at the Wellpark site, on the banks of the Molendiner Burn, as far back as the 1550s.
However, it was in 1884 that founder Hugh Tennent - the last member of the family to own and operate the business - travelled to Bavaria and returned home with the idea of building a new lager brewery at the site.
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Described by newspapers at the time as a "madman’s dream", the brewery produced its first bottles of Tennent's Lager the following year.
The lager went on to receive plaudits from around the world, including the Gold Medal in Jamaica and the "Highest Possible and Only Award of Honour" in Chicago.
In the 1890's, the company also pioneered and patented "stopped bottles" before going on to be at the forefront of introducing canned lager to the UK.
In the 1960s the brand's popularity grew and the famous "Lager Lovelies" began to appear on cans.
In 1966, the company underwent a merger with United Caledonian Breweries to become Tennent Caledonian Breweries.
Now owned by C&C Group plc, the brand has also proved synonymous with the Scottish music and football scenes in more recent years, becoming a founding partner of what was Scotland's biggest music festival, T in the Park, in 1994.
The Thirst team – led by executive Creative Director, Matt Burns – sought to reflect the pride and quality of the brand in the new design while still honouring Tennent’s iconic colour palette and legendary red T.
“This project is a dream come true. There’s so much passion for the brand – from our team, from the Tennent’s team, and from everyone in Scotland. We poured all of that into the design,” explained Burns.
“It was essential we put the heart that goes into Tennent’s Lager onto the can. We re-visited the beloved iconography, adding depth and richness, and introduced new markers to tell the story of the quality and skill that bring the lager to life and re-energise the brand.
“Scots are known for their optimistic outlook and the brand has always leveraged that energy to create uplifting, meaningful brand conversations. We set out to celebrate and amplify the position that Tennent’s represents in Scottish culture and beyond.”
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A new barley motif tells the story of the locally sourced ingredients detailed on the can as: “Fresh Highland water, barley from local Scottish farmers and the perfect balance for herkules hops.”
Hugh Tennent’s iconic signature remains.
The new Tennent’s Lager brand identity will roll out throughout Scotland and beyond in the coming days across the brand’s full packaged range, coinciding with the launch of Tennent’s wider brand world, including limited edition glassware featuring illustrations by Tobias Hall.
The launch also coincides with the launch of Tennent’s biggest marketing drive in eight years, which includes a through the line campaign featuring a brand-new TV commercial, out-of-home advertising and social media campaign.
Paul Menzies, C&C’s Brand and Marketing Director (Beer), said: “Tennent’s Lager is one of Scotland’s most important and enduring brands. When approaching an evolution of its visual identity, we wanted to respect that history and heritage whilst looking to embrace more current trends and design elements.
“Thirst creates design and branding that goes beyond the aesthetic into what the brand really means to people. A lot of work goes into delivering that and it's reflected in the output. Over and above this, the team were a pleasure to work with throughout and sought to collaborate in a spirit that does justice to our brand icon.
“This is not so much a revolution, but an evolution, and everything that is immediately recognised about Tennent’s Lager is still featured within the packaging and design. We want to make the arrival of a new Tennent’s Lager can an event to get people talking.”
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