Photo by Design Museum of Chicago
You can tell a lot about a person by their alcoholic drink of choice. A young and sophisticated professional friend of mine likes rye old fashioneds. When I’m out at the bar I notice a lot of trendy White Claw drinkers and shots of Jameson with pickle juice chasers. When I’m behind the bar I make a lot of martinis and manhattans. Serving or seeing Aberlour at the bar is always memorable. It’s truly a special Scotch with it’s distinctly sherry and spice infused taste and it’s careful aging process. An even more special, limited release version of the scotch is coming out exclusively in Illinois, and Suttons Bay native Taylor Mentzer designed the box.
Taylor lives in Chicago now, but she spent her childhood in Suttons Bay. After graduating from Suttons Bay High School, Taylor attended University of Michigan where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in architecture. Before making the move to Chicago Taylor moved back home after college.
“I was burnt out from school, so I ended up working at The Cove in Leland for a couple years, it was fun. You make a ton of money in the summer, and then they’re closed in the Fall so I would travel.”
However, Taylor always knew she was going to design. As a child she took classes in school that revolved around being creative.
“I was always wanting to make stuff. I liked to create. I liked to draw.”
After two years of being home she was ready to see how she would like life at an architectural firm and took a job in Chicago. Chicago is also what influenced her winning Aberlour box design. Taylor discovered the box designing contest online through the American Institute of Architects website. The competition, Designing Louder Than Words Bottle Box drew plenty of talented designers and artists. By the time Taylor discovered the competition, she didn’t have long to complete the project.
“Designing a box, I have a week to do it. Let’s see what I can do,” Taylor said.
Photo by Design Museum of Chicago
She was given several color palette options to choose from, and dimension specifications for her box design but the rest was all her, including selection of materials. She used brass and charred wood, and the dark gray box is the epitome of sophistication in simplicity.
“I wanted charred wood to be like the Chicago Fire, brass for the great migration that happened right after the emancipation proclamation when everyone moved up north and they brought their own culture and jazz and it changed the culture of Chicago. It had the Chicago stars and it has a wave pattern to be the water.”
The limited release Aberlour Single Cask No. 22112 will only produce and sell 204 bottles. Why only 204? Initially, the whiskey started in a hogshead barrel and started out with 225 liters.
“It’s aged 15 years, and you lose some through evaporation. It’s called an angel’s share.”
What’s left after the evaporation is what is going to be sold in Taylor’s beautifully designed box.
Taylor has designed all sorts of things, and a personal favorite project of hers was designing a manhole cover for the city of Ann Arbor. The design features a young woman kayaking towards a sunrise.
“There were three winners, mine will be installed next Fall I think.”
Taylor’s favorite kind of design projects are homes, restaurants, shops and cafes. She said she likes the more intimate and sustainable nature of single-use structures. Her personal architectural style favorites are mid-century and Victorian.
“One is very stripped down with clean-lines, one is like a dollhouse.”
Taylor is getting ready to move to Seattle with her husband-to-be. Despite moving even further from northern Michigan, Taylor’s roots run deep here. She is the owner of Good Harbor studio located in Good Harbor where she also displays paintings of her own, as well as having parents to come visit in Traverse City and her grandmother’s cottage in Leland.
If you’re in the market for a beautiful home design or piece of art, hunt down Taylor Mentzer. If you’re in the market for a great scotch in a beautiful box, head to Illinois to hunt down Aberlour’s Aberlour Single Cask No. 22112.
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