MARY Queen of Scots in a pink kilt is just one of the striking images on a new range of whiskies targeted at a younger market both at home and abroad.

As well as introducing a more modern design, the artwork emblazoned on the labels and packaging is also aimed at promoting Scotland’s artists on the world stage.

The range called Art of Whisky from House of McCallum has been selected, matured and bottled by Antony McCallum, who has more than 20 years experience in the industry.

Five Scottish artists have been chosen for the artwork on the whiskies and it is Ashley Cook’s Mary Queen of Scots that adorns the McPink whisky, so called because it has been matured in a port cask giving it a pink tinge.

McWarrior sports an eye-catching Bonnie Prince Charlie, painted by Simon Laurie, while the McPeat has an intriguing design by Murray Robertson focusing on peat bogs in the Highlands. The Mc of the Isles features a painting of Brodick on the Isle of Arran by Archibald Dunbar McIntosh and his sunset has been used for McElegance, a Single Speyside malt. McCallum has also created a rum called McExplorer with a painting by Gordon Mitchell of a boat made of driftwood.

The handcrafted release of around 4000 bottles per brand for 2018 will be sold in Scotland, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria. The range will be followed by the release of some vintage single malts, called the Auld Alliance series, which has been using hand-picked wine casks for maturation.

All the design and packaging has been sourced and produced in Scotland and McCallum used a new clan kilt made by designer Siobhan Mackenzie to promote the whiskies at their recent European launch in France. He will don it again for the UK launch on November 27 at the Glasgow Art Club.

“Siobhan is an amazing Scottish designer so I have been promoting her along with the artists and the whisky as I wanted the French to know they are not the only ones with good designers,” McCallum told the National.

“As far as the whisky is concerned, I wanted something new in terms of design – a more modernist approach. Whisky can be traditional but I want to bring younger people to whisky.”

McCallum, who has dual French and Scottish nationality, said the response in France so far had been “amazing”.

“Retailers love the packaging and the contents. There are roughly 22,000 bottles in the first release, however, so when they sell out customers will have to wait till next year for release number two. The only way to ensure quality is to keep it small.”

An expert blender, McCallum decided to create a new range of whiskies using different types of casks, such as port, sherry and rum, for the maturation. The Auld Alliance range uses wine casks from top class French wines. He has chosen the single malts from different distilleries and then matured them for two years in his specially selected casks.

“Having been brought up in France, I have that connection with the wine world which allows me to have a close relationship with small wine producers.

“People are looking for authenticity and provenance and I have used the same approach for the packaging as I wanted to source it locally. The cartons are made in Glasgow, the labels are printed in Airdrie and the cases are made in Milngavie.

“The aim is to create new type of whisky. I also wanted to create one that works well in cocktails because cocktails are only very rarely made with Scotch whisky. I created the McPink with that in mind.”