Pinetop Distillery — Well Aligned Studio

BRANDING / PACKAGING / ACTIVATION

Old moonshine roots.
New Carolina flavor.

A new distillery with deep roots and a story worth telling.

Long before “craft” was a trend, North Carolina was bottling rebellion. In the moonlit hollers of the Blue Ridge Mountains, moonshine runners threaded down backroads with headlights off and hearts racing. Along the Outer Banks, pirate ships vanished into fog, their hulls heavy with barrels of liquor. This is the soil Pinetop Distillery grows from—rich with lore, wild at heart.

Identity

To bring Pinetop’s story to life, we rooted every brand element in the rich, rebellious folklore of North Carolina.
Packaging

Each flagship bottle tells a story of place—mountains and sea, grit and wind, rebellion and flight.
Merchendise

Merchandise became a mobile canvas—carrying the myths of moonshine and coastlines into everyday life.
Campaign

Follow the spirit trail from ridge to rip tide—one sip, one stop, one story at a time.

The Identity

Distilling What Matters

Pinetop was built on tradition—the kind you learn by watching, doing, and getting it right over time. It’s a connection to place, to process, and to the people who came before. When we began, the spirit was world-class, but the brand didn't exist yet. This was a chance to create something from the ground up that feels as true as the liquid itself.

Alignment was our first priority. We focused on their engineering-led precision with a visual soul that feels rooted in the North Carolina woods.

A restrained color palette of tobacco browns, smoke, and pine green evoked campfires and creek beds. The contrast between the strong slab characters and the more modern serif type used in “DISTILLERY” strikes a deliberate balance—heritage with clarity, tradition with polish.

The Packaging

One Legacy, Two Legends

"You don't just drink it. You respect it.”

Each flagship bottle tells North Carolina’s story through visual details. The designs mirror the state’s landscape—mountains, sea, local grit, and rebellion. It’s more than a label: it’s a story that matches the craft.

Carolina Moonshine: Bottling the Blue Ridge

This clear glass bottle wraps you in the misty layers of the Blue Ridge Mountains—rich greens below, fading blues above. The label captures the spirit’s origin with a panoramic landscape that feels both timeless and true. A natural wood cork and embossed base finish the look with handcrafted authenticity. A vessel that doesn’t just hold spirit—it holds scenery.

Carolina Gin: Born by the Breeze

This bottle captures golden hour on the Carolina coast—sun dipping low over calm Atlantic waves, framed by dunes and sea grass. The label’s warm glow and playful beach umbrella hint at the gin’s crisp, coastal character. It’s a spirit that tastes like summer, sealed with a natural wood cork and crafted for easy living.

The Merch

With a Heart on the Sleeve

Merchandise for Pinetop was treated as a mobile canvas, designed to carry the myths of moonshine and coastlines into the ritual of everyday life. Each piece was considered an extension of the brand's quiet confidence, acting as a functional vessel for the stories of North Carolina—from the grit of the mountains to the rebellion of the coast.

By aligning these tactile items with the brand’s grounded voice, we ensured that the spirit of the distillery follows the customer home, turning simple apparel and goods into lasting markers of craft and intention.

The Campaign

From Peaks to Pours

"Follow the spirit trail from ridge to rip tide: one sip, one stop, one story at a time."

To celebrate North Carolina’s wild heart (and wide reach), we launched the Pinetop Passage—a statewide campaign inviting fans to trace the roots of our spirits from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Outer Banks. The route follows a custom-designed map with key stops inspired by NC lore, local partnerships, and the stories behind every bottle.

Participants picked up a trail passport at participating distilleries, bottle shops, bars, and festivals, collecting stamps and entering giveaways along the way.