X MUSE

A new luxury spirit for the discerning drinker, X MUSE, pronounced ‘tenth muse’, is the brainchild of former Pernod Ricard Senior Marketer Vadim Grigoryan and co-creator of Edinburgh’s sculpture park Jupiter Artland, Robert Wilson. X MUSE is the first Scottish blended barley vodka and the first to tread the intersection of Scottish spirit making traditions and art thinking.

As a brand committed to the arts, the vodka’s name, X MUSE, is taken from Ian Hamilton Finlay’s sculpture of the same name residing at Jupiter Artland. Referencing the muses in Greek mythology, the tenth muse is never seen or defined –this is further referenced in the brand credo ‘more is hid than uttered’ embossed as ‘Plura Latent, Quam Patent’ on every bottle cap.

With its multi-layered design and brand identity, X MUSE’s bottle design is owed to award-winning design agency Stranger & Stranger. The bottle pays homage to the Charles Jencks’ Cells of Life – the monumental land art that frames the aquifer from which the spring water for the vodka is drawn which also sits at Jupiter Artland Estate.

The brand illustration, by graphic design studio A Practice For Everyday Life, reinterprets an icon by 16^th-century philosopher and alchemist Dr John Dee, and takes inspiration from pioneering 20^th-century artist Marcel Duchamp. Each element of the illustration is made up of four strokes, referencing the four elements in nature, stages of distillation, and dimensions (three spatial and one temporal).

In partnership with Heriot-Watt University two heritage varieties of barley, Plumage Archer and Maris Otter, were selected, distilled separately and combined in precise quantities, to create a smooth and complex flavour. Fused with water drawn from an ancient aquifer at Jupiter Artland estate, X MUSE is handcrafted in Scotland, using the finest local ingredients with subtle differences in organoleptic profile embracing the variety of nature. The distinct flavour profile invites both sipping and savouring – lending itself as an inspirational launchpad for both creative and classic serves – whether that’s neat, on the rocks or as a twist on the classic martini.

For more information visit: www.xmusevodka.com