Hunter Luxury has further established its credentials as a full-service developer of premium and collectible packaging following the recognition of its collaboration with Brown-Forman and McLaren. The Jack Daniel’s x McLaren Halo MK1 Limited Edition received an AmeriStar Award for Design Excellence.
The presentation case contains a bottle of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey filled at 58.7% ABV, a reference to McLaren founder Bruce McLaren’s first racing car, an Austin 7 numbered 58. Its packaging reflects the same precision, heritage and narrative detail. Among its defining features is a sculptural wishbone framework based on the Halo safety system fitted above the cockpit of every Formula 1 car.
Brown-Forman’s Global Design team began by studying McLaren’s design and engineering cues. The nose cone, rear wing and centre-lock wheels all informed the exploration of a structure that could showcase the bottle. The team ultimately focused on the Halo. From inside the cockpit, the safety device surrounds and frames the driver as well as providing protection. That principle translated effectively into luxury spirits packaging, positioning the bottle as the focal point while converting a piece of motorsport engineering into the foundation of a high-end presentation case.
The resulting form commands attention on display, while its central mechanism adds an engaging opening experience. Hidden beneath the McLaren emblem is a custom push button. Activating it releases the bottle from its tailored cradle, turning pack opening into a carefully engineered performance. Designers fine-tuned the travel, resistance and acoustic response of the mechanism, adding EVA components to create a softer and more rewarding click. The finished system combines visual impact and practical performance within one cohesive structure.
Paul Hamilton, Head of Sales & Marketing at Hunter Luxury, said, “To be recognised in the Design Excellence category at the AmeriStar Awards is a major endorsement of what Halo MK1 represents: the ability of packaging to carry a brand story through structure, movement, material, and detail.
“This was a genuinely collaborative achievement. Brown-Forman began with a bold structural idea rooted in McLaren’s visual language and inspired by one of Formula 1’s defining safety innovations. Working with the creative teams behind Jack Daniel’s and McLaren, our challenge was to convert that vision into a manufacturable object that embodies the presence of a trophy and the precision of automotive engineering, capturing the theatre, thrills and cutting-edge technology of motorsport.”
Hunter Luxury managed an extensive engineering and prototyping process to turn the initial flat artwork into a production-ready three-dimensional pack. More than 20 CAD versions were developed to optimise the architecture and operating mechanism. The team also used digital simulations to assess movement before creating physical models through FDM, SLA and DMLS manufacturing methods, confirming the design’s fit, appearance and functionality.
In total, the completed presentation case comprises more than 50 individual parts. These are produced from eight different materials and through eight manufacturing techniques. The construction combines extruded aluminium sections, laser cutting and CNC machining for selected finishes, as well as die-cast aluminium and injection-moulded high-performance polymer parts.
Although the engineering is complex, it remains largely hidden so that the chosen materials and surface treatments define the user experience. The carbon fibre effect reflects reference samples provided by McLaren, while an Alcantara-style lining introduces a softer finish inside the case and recalls the flame-resistant textile used in racing cockpits. McLaren Papaya elements feature a satin mould texture for an even matte effect. Meanwhile, the black aluminium exterior undergoes electrophoresis treatment, delivering both improved durability and a consistent premium finish.
Reflecting on the original design ambition, Sam Gardner, Senior Art Director at Brown-Forman Global Design, said: “There was a point when it stopped feeling like a case or a gift pack and started to feel like a piece of sculpture. That was when I realised people weren’t going to hide this away in a cupboard. They were going to treat it like a centrepiece.
“So many brand collaborations can end up feeling like two logos have simply been placed on an existing format. We wanted to genuinely share the DNA of Jack Daniel’s and McLaren to create something neither brand could have made on its own. My hope is that, 20 years from now, a collector can look at Halo MK1 on a shelf and still see it as a moment when we got that balance right. If it still feels striking and relevant, then we’ve done our job.”
Organised annually by the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP), the AmeriStar Awards celebrate exceptional packaging across 18 categories. This latest honour for the Halo MK1 project demonstrates the benefit of integrating creative direction, structural engineering, prototyping, manufacturing capability and international supply chain expertise at the beginning of a development programme.
The project also illustrates how premium food and drink packaging can support wider food and beverage industry trends, including food and drink industry innovation, high-value food and drink marketing and evolving food and drink consumer trends. While the case is designed for spirits, its combination of material innovation, manufacturing precision and brand storytelling reflects developments influencing food manufacturing trends, food processing technology and food distribution trends. As food and drink sustainability and food and drink regulations continue to shape commercial decisions, premium packaging suppliers must balance distinction, performance and responsible production.
Further information about Hunter Luxury’s specialist full-service solutions for brands and designers is available at www.hunterluxury.com.