On Monday, May 15, 2017, Brown-Forman unveiled the newly redesigned Old Forester® water tower, which is above their corporate headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. The updated look was manufactured and installed by Showtime Sign & Design of Louisville. N. Glantz & Son and 3M worked diligently with Showtime Sign & Design to select the right products and ensure the new branding specifications were met.
At almost 62-1/2 feet tall and 20 feet in diameter, the bourbon bottle shaped tower is 218 feet above the ground. With a capacity of 100,000 gallons, it was once the fourth tallest structure in Kentucky.
This was the first time since it was constructed in 1936 that the bottle was digitally wrapped rather than painted. Forty-two coats of paint were removed before the new digital wrap could be installed. Updates include a new shape, cap, and label design to match the new Old Forester branding.
To select the right product, N. Glantz & Son, led by Art Gamsky, and Justin Brown of 3M began running adhesion tests on the water tank. Multiple tests were performed on the eighty-one-year-old water tower to certify numerous graphic products and keep the credibility of the new branding elements including the blue band at the top of the bottle.
Additionally samples of primer were sent to 3M for internal testing, and 180MC was deemed the best product and verified on site. Along with the 180MC, 8900-G Mystic silver lam, 8549-L Envision lam and 180c peacock blue were also used.
This was the first-time Derrick Duncanson, installer at Showtime Sign & Design, used 3M 180MC, and he said, “It worked like a dream. It’s the best material I have ever used.”
Owner Bart Cohen, who has worked with Brown-Forman and the branding of the Old Forester tower for over twenty years, also reiterated that 3M “provided great service throughout the project and 180MC was a remarkable product to use.”
The tower will be featured in the film Kingsman: The Golden Circle set to release in September. It is directed by Matthew Vaughn and stars Colin Firth, Julianne More, Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, and Channing Tatum.
N. Glantz & Son is proud to have partnered with 3M and Showtime Sign & Design to work on such a historic landmark in Louisville.
N. Glantz & Son, a full line national sign, graphics, electrical, and lighting supplies company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, has been family-owned since 1906 and can be contacted at www.nglantz.com.
