Hunter Luxury has secured two finalist places at the UK Packaging Awards 2026, with the Jack Daniel’s x McLaren Halo MK1 Limited Edition shortlisted for both Limited Edition Packaging of the Year and Innovation of the Year.
The double nomination recognises a presentation case that challenges what secondary packaging can do. Inspired by Formula 1’s Halo safety device, Halo MK1 translates the same fundamental principles of protection, structure and precision into a collector-grade packaging system, using engineering itself to create the experience.
At the centre of that experience is a concealed push-button mechanism integrated beneath the McLaren emblem. A single press releases the bottle from its sculpted cradle in one smooth, controlled movement. The interaction appears effortless, but achieving that simplicity required an extraordinarily complex piece of packaging engineering.
More than 50 custom components, eight materials and eight distinct manufacturing processes work together within the finished structure. More than 20 CAD iterations, supported by digital motion studies and physical prototyping, were used to refine its geometry, balance and release behaviour, while even the acoustic response of the mechanism was engineered to give the interaction a softer, more premium character.
Developed by Hunter Luxury in collaboration with brand owner Brown-Forman and McLaren Racing, Halo MK1 began as an ambitious creative concept inspired by the structure that protects and frames a Formula 1 driver. Hunter Luxury’s challenge was to translate that vision into a manufacturable packaging system without losing the simplicity and visual clarity that made the original idea so compelling.
The resulting structure brings together extruded and die-cast aluminium, injection-moulded components, carbon fibre-effect detailing and Alcantara-inspired lining, with the aluminium exterior finished using an electrophoretic coating to create its uniform matte appearance. Almost none of this technical complexity is visible to the consumer. Instead, the engineering disappears beneath a simple interaction designed to turn accessing the bottle into a memorable moment.
Paul Hamilton, Head of Sales & Marketing at Hunter Luxury, said: “The best luxury packaging makes complexity disappear. People should not see 50 components or eight manufacturing processes. They should press the emblem, watch the bottle rise and feel that everything has happened exactly as it should.
“That single moment demanded extraordinary precision from everyone involved. To be recognised for both innovation and limited-edition packaging is particularly meaningful because Halo MK1 succeeds on both levels: technically, it is highly complex; emotionally, it feels completely effortless.”
For Brown-Forman, that combination of engineering, interaction and visual restraint also allowed Halo MK1 to move beyond the conventions of a traditional gift pack and become an object intended to remain on display long after its initial reveal.
Sam Gardner, Senior Art Director at Brown-Forman Global Design, said: “There was a point when it stopped feeling like a case or a gift pack and started to feel like a piece of sculpture. That was when I realised people weren’t going to hide this away in a cupboard. They were going to treat it like a centrepiece.
“So many brand collaborations can end up feeling like two logos have simply been placed on an existing format. We wanted to genuinely share the DNA of Jack Daniel’s and McLaren to create something neither brand could have made on its own. My hope is that, 20 years from now, a collector can look at Halo MK1 on a shelf and still see it as a moment when we got that balance right. If it still feels striking and relevant, then we’ve done our job.”
The latest recognition continues a growing run of international awards and shortlistings for Halo MK1 and follows Hunter Luxury’s success at the 2025 UK Packaging Awards, where its Hendrick’s Whimsical Watering Can won Limited Edition Packaging of the Year.
The winners of the UK Packaging Awards 2026 will be announced on 7 October at the Hilton on Park Lane, London.
To learn more about Hunter Luxury and its approach to luxury packaging innovation, please visit www.HunterLuxury.com.
Our team of packaging experts works with the world’s largest brands. Drop us a line at info@hunterluxury.com, we’d love to talk through your project brief with you.
