When one of the biggest events in the sporting calendar is taking place in your own back yard, you’ve got to go all out with the celebrations.
And that’s exactly what Bushmills Irish Whiskey did when the 153rd Open Championship pitched up at Royal Portrush. With a 400-year history on Ireland’s North Coast, a region that’s become a global symbol of world class golf and whiskey, it made sense for the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery to play a part.
After partnering with golf lifestyle brand Malbon in 2024, Bushmills was already gaining cultural relevance in the golf world, making the Open the perfect moment to build on that momentum.
That’s where we at Smarts came in. Working with the brilliant Bushmills team and collaborating with other roster agencies, we created a narrative that developed the Bushmills x Malbon collaboration further. Our messaging centred on the union of two groundbreaking tastemakers – Bushmills, defining the Irish Whiskey category since 1608, and Malbon, more than 400 years younger, now doing exactly the same thing in golf fashion.
Just because your brands are centuries apart, doesn’t mean values and ambition can’t be shared. Both brands are rooted in craft and culture. Both engage with trendsetters in truly unique ways.
The Bushmills x Malbon partnership came to life across the Open Championship weekend, kicking off in style with an immersive launch event at the brand home – attended by Australian golfer Min Woo Lee.
We then activated the partnership across earned media, social and digital channels. We amplified content in national and regional media, from Sky Sports to the Irish Independent and Belfast Telegraph.
Our team devised and executed a clever targeted paid social strategy, produced content from the Old Bushmills Distillery for Bushmills and Malbon’s combined half a million followers and managed media on location.
The curtain may have closed on the Open, but the show goes on for our collaboration – and Bushmills x Malbon continues to be a powerful and culturally enduring partnership. And perhaps (quite obviously), it’s been one of the most enjoyable campaigns we’ve had the privilege of working on this year.