Some products demand more than a commercial; they demand an experience. Directing the launch trailer for Chivas Regal 18 meant approaching every frame with the same care and craftsmanship that goes into the whisky itself. The film needed to feel rich, unhurried and cinematic, drawing viewers into the world of the liquid rather than simply presenting it. At the heart of the piece were elaborate fluid simulations, with golden whisky twisting and cascading through deep amber light in a way that felt alive and genuinely sensuous. I mentored the VFX artists through every stage of that process, guiding them on how premium spirits move, how light refracts through aged Scotch, and how to translate those physical qualities into simulation with believable weight and warmth.
Beyond the liquid work, the film weaves in the tasting notes of Chivas 18 itself, with close macro visuals of strawberry, raspberry, toffee and toasted nuts rendered in the same warm, burnished palette as the whisky. It was a creative decision that rooted the abstraction in something real and sensory, inviting the audience to almost taste the film as much as watch it. The result was a trailer that didn't just announce Chivas Regal 18, it embodied the richness and craft of a whisky that has been 18 years in the making.
