Retail technology innovation of the week: Grace O'Malley Irish Whiskey, KinMx, Metacask tell powerful brand story
Retail Technology Innovation of the Week is a new series brought to you by RTIH and sponsored by 3D Cloud by Marxent, highlighting stand out deployments, launches, and initiatives by retailers and tech suppliers.
Every week, we will showcase forward thinking tech plays that have impressed our Editor and the Retail Technology Innovations Report judging panel, in the run up to the publication of the 2024 report early next year.
So far, we’ve showcased work being done by Ocado Retail, Decathlon, Lacoste, Downtown Spirits, TalkShopLive, Huck’s, Rovertown, Wing, McDonald’s, Nobody’s Child, IKI, Pixevia, Walmart, A.L.C., Archive, Therabody, Outform, Kingfisher, PMC, Żabka Polska, Boots UK, and Ocula Technologies.
And this week, we’re focusing on an industry first, with Grace O'Malley Irish Whiskey and street artist KinMx joining forces with Metacask, a blockchain powered spirits marketplace, to launch THE GRACE - a limited collection of digitally connected bottles.
Together, the 501 bottles form a 6 x 4.5m mural of Ireland’s legendary pirate queen, Grace O’Malley.
This is the final ‘reveal’ in a year long creative partnership that combines art, whiskey and technology to bring Irish contemporary culture and heritage to the forefront.
Available to buy now from €450, this gives collectors and whiskey lovers the chance to own a one of a kind piece of decentralised artwork from KinMx.
Created first as a street mural in Dublin, KinMx’s artwork idolising the aforementioned female leader, has been recreated across a canvas of 501 matt black Grace O’Malley whiskey bottles before being filled with a 13 year-old single grain Irish Whiskey with Amarone Finish.
Each individually numbered bottle is a unique piece of art and can be purchased as a non-fungible token (NFT) on the Metacask platform.
Collectors can choose to hold the product digitally, trade it or redeem the NFT from the 1st December 2023, receiving the physical bottle in time for Christmas.
As each bottle is enabled with near-field communication (NFC) technology, collectors can simply tap their bottle with a smartphone to verify authenticity and ownership, unlock their artwork and reveal the legend of the Irish pirate queen.
CEO at Metacask, Rob Hollands, says: “This is a really exciting partnership which brings genuine innovation to the spirits industry. We’re combining creativity and technology to connect with consumers beyond the bottle and tell a powerful brand story.”
“As the NFT space matures we’re unlocking genuine uses of the technology, delivering unique and meaningful experiences for consumers and new forms of ownership and rewards. The Web3 approach rewards everyone involved, from producer to content creator, and in this case the artist, all the way through to the end consumer.”
Heather Clancy, Brand Manager at Grace O’Malley Irish Whiskey, says: “We are committed to establishing a genuine long-term relationship with the Irish art community and see the launch of THE GRACE collection as a fully collaborative venture that showcases the very best of Ireland’s creative talent.”
“Famously known for her rebellious spirit and unquenchable thirst for freedom, fairness and justice, Grace O’Malley is regarded as one of the world’s most extraordinary female trailblazers.”
“We think the uniqueness of THE GRACE collection does her justice. It’s befitting of her trailblazer reputation with the calibre of the artistic talent involved and innovative use of technology.”
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