Fortuna Bourbon;
A Taste of Good Fortune

Brand Identity, Logo, Packaging

The Situation —

Fortuna Bourbon was a whiskey brand that was started in the 1800s by German immigrant Phil Hollenbach. Hollenbach left a lasting mark on the whiskey trade, having found great success in Louisville, Kentucky. He strived to delight customers far and wide by sharing some of the “Taste of Good Fortune” provided to his family. However, the brand went defunct and closed its doors in the 1960s.

Over a hundred years since its inception, Fortuna Bourbon has now been revitalized for a new generation of whiskey lovers to celebrate. Rare Character co-founder Pablo Moix has been a lover and collector of vintage whiskeys for nearly two decades and has always been a big fan of Fortuna and Glencoe whiskeys. Pablo, a proud Latino, was also attracted to the name (which directly translates to “fortunate”). Additionally, co-founder Andy Shapira, whose family has owned and operated Heaven Hill Distilleries for generations, is a whiskey historian who has long been enamored with the brand and story. The tale of Phil Hollenbach, an immigrant who wanted to share “A Taste of Good Fortune” with all, spoke to our team and inspired us to bring the historic brand back to life.

The Solution —

Americano and the Rare Character team dove into some deep whiskey history to find original Fortuna bottles and collateral pieces so we could do justice to a brand that was once so loved. Taking note of every design detail, Americano worked with label printers to create an ornate foiled and embossed label that stands out miles away on a bar; even in comparison to other old-style whiskey labels.

Americano also worked with typographers to recreate two custom fonts specifically for Fortuna based on the original fonts used in the 1800s; back when fonts were a book of stickers where each letter had to be placed by hand or drawn individually.

Fortuna truly is a revived brand with respect and homage to the original.