Malta’s award-winning, iconic beer brand Cisk has recently launched new bold and vibrant branding for its main brand Cisk Lager and low-carb variant Cisk Excel, with the newly designed cans and bottles beginning to appear on supermarket shelves and in popular bars and kiosks across Malta and Gozo.
This launch marks the initial phase of a longer-term project which has been in the making for some time and which has been developed through a detailed process of market research, strategy and creative thinking, in collaboration with renowned UK-based agency, bluemarlin. From the vibrant and warm colours to the newly modelled stallion proudly rearing up above the Cisk word mark, all elements of the new branding build on a history and legacy to be proud of, placing Malta at its core and looking to the future with confidence.
Cisk, the flagship brand of the Farsons Brewery, was born in 1929 and went on to play a definitive role in the local beverage industry. First brewed by the Scicluna family in a predominantly wine-drinking culture, the market soon started to embrace the beauty and love of beer.
“We have come a long way since the launch of Cisk in 1929. Today brands play a huge part in our consumers’ lives and following this brand upgrade the Cisk ‘look and feel’ and imagery has been modernized and is making a bigger, bolder statement, ready to take on the 21st century,” said Susan Weenink Camilleri, Head of Sales & Marketing at Simonds Farsons Cisk plc.
“The modernised Cisk brand identity comprises many elements, working together to create something greater,” continued Ms Weenink Camilleri. “From the subtle and unassuming use of the widely recognised and respected Maltese Cross, to the bold red lettering used in the word mark, each element has been carefully considered and crafted to communicate our provenance, our brand identity and aligned with our strategy.”
The new identity is locked into place with the signature of ‘iċ-Cisk’, John Scicluna.
Today Cisk is brewed in a state-of-the-art brewery and as long-standing independent brewers, the Farsons Brewery remains committed to the family traditions and heritage that have sustained the brand all these years.
The original Cisk Lager Beer is a golden-coloured, bottom-fermented lager with a distinctive and well-balanced character. Its rich hop aroma and pleasant bitterness has made it the natural choice and thirst quencher for beer drinkers who want to savour the original brew which always has and continues to remain faithful to its recipe of 1929.
The Cisk family also includes Cisk Excel, a low-carbohydrate lager; Cisk 0.0, an alcohol-free lager; Cisk Pilsner, a premium pilsner brewed to exacting specifications using only the finest Pilsen malt and Noble hops of the Saaz variety; Cisk Export, a smooth-tasting premium lager with a light golden colour; Cisk Strong, a strong premium lager with an increased alcoholic strength; and Cisk Chill, a range of flavoured beers.
The portfolio has won several major international awards over the years, with the latest coveted recognitions being awarded to Cisk 0.0 at the International Brewing and Cider Awards 2021 as well as Cisk Export and Cisk Excel at the International Beer Challenge 2021.