Five winners were selected through a social media contest to take part in the development of the 2018 limited release whisky.
The Brief
To celebrate the fans who’ve helped get them to where they are today, Ontario-based Forty Creek wanted to do something truly special for their 2018 limited release whisky.
The Solution
Drawing upon the brand’s highly-engaged social media community, YBIMC worked with the Forty Creek team to produce its first-ever fan-selected whisky.
A process that started with a nation-wide Facebook contest asking fans why they choose Forty Creek, led to nearly 2,000 passionate entries, and culminated in five winners from across Canada gathering at the Forty Creek Distillery for a VIP weekend to help Master Blender, Bill Ashburn, select the final blend that would be bottled as the 2018 limited release.
To spread the word about this unique experience, YBIMC created and published shareable content across Forty Creek’s social media channels that included winner portraits, a fan experience video, and behind-the-scenes production content that documented the process from start to finish. Through media relations, YBIMC garnered positive coverage of the limited release weekend experience in trade, print and broadcast media – including the hometown newspapers of contest winners.
Named Forty Creek Unity, the 2018 limited release officially launched at the brand’s annual Whisky Weekend event (September 22–23 at the Forty Creek Distillery in Grimsby, Ontario). As the product rolled out to liquor retailers, YBIMC continued to support the program, sharing this one-of-a-kind story via social media and media relations. Only 15,000 bottles of Forty Creek Unity will be produced.
