Philippe Starck covers Mortlach whisky bottles in metallic "brain" cases

Designer Philippe Starck has released an "innovative" trio of whisky blends with alcohol brand Mortlach, which are covered in metallic, 3D-printed cases.

The L'Evolution collection is the first from Mortlach to be "imagined by Philippe Starck" following the announcement the designer would act as creative director for the brand.

"Through this collaboration, I wanted to speak to the next generation, using a universal language about quality, intelligence and modernity," said Starck.

"I wanted to create a completely new experience, but with a dream beyond. It is a deep love-at-first sight, the feeling of drinking history."

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Starck worked with a master distiller on three whisky blends and designed an encasement for all three bottles for the project.

The Begin, Become and Beyond spirits tell the story of "whisky's journey from its origin and maturity" according to the team, and represent the spirit in different phases of its processing.

Each bottle is covered in a 3D-printed "cage" designed to "protect" the spirit. Their textured surfaces were designed to resemble a brain.

"The spirits we created turned out to be so innovative, that I didn't want to hide them," said Starck. "That is why the original bottle remains, and I just placed it in a cage."

"The form of the cage comes from the gyrus, the circumvolution of the brain. It is human intelligence creating human intelligence, to reveal the subconscious of the whisky," added Starck.

"We created the most beautiful whisky, and we put it in a cage to protect it."

The different materials – aluminium, "refined pink copper" and a brown case with "a soft-to-touch finish" correspond with the identity of each spirit.

Their materiality also makes them "technically interesting" according to Starck, as they add a thermal element.

"The case is technically interesting because it creates a permanent shadow that protects the spirit and when in metal it ensures temperature inertia – whether it is cold or warm it guarantees a delay on temperature change," he said.

According to the designer, Starck worked with the brand for "almost four years" to form the blends, focusing on the purity of a "new make" – or a freshly distilled spirit.

"I try to find the origin of things," Starck told Dezeen. "I have to start from the origin of the original. My life is dedicated to trying to understand the meaning of everything."

Starck has collaborated in other brand designs, including apparel outfit Stone Island's Ghost collection.

Other recent bottle designs include the "world's lightest whisky bottle" from Johnnie Walker.

The photography is by Till Janz unless otherwise noted.

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