That’s Neat! The Glenlivet swaps Speyside for Portie

The Rock’s influence on global culture remains firm with the recent release of The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Jamaica Edition whisky.

The makers of the renowned Scottish distilled spirit not only refined the taste profile for the tropical finish in casks previously holding Jamaican rum, but also the accompanying campaign for this special-edition Speyside ‘firewater’ was inspired by Treasure Beach and shot in Portland.

With a predominant local cast and crew hired for the two-day Glenlivet shoot last September, first on the call sheet were Miss Universe Jamaica 2020 Miqueal-Symone Williams and Scottish actor Thomas Doherty of HBO’s Gossip Girl reboot fame, cast as the romantic leads.

“I had a great time working with Thomas, and he was a great partner and teacher. It was a good experience to be able to learn on the job,” Williams recounted of her on-set Portie campaign shoot. “As someone who does not necessarily have a lot of acting experience, he made the entire process easy and free-flowing [for me].”

Laudatory sentiments also came for the man behind the camera, Australian cinematographer and director Louis English, who has helmed stylised, glossy adverts for Audi, Google, HSBC, and McDonald’s.

“Louis’ direction was always super-clear. You could see his vision come to life, even by way of how he explained certain scenes. It was a super-professional workspace and a team that knew exactly what they wanted. Louis made the project very easy,” Williams remarked.

The pageant queen and model, who has walked the runway for Valentino in Paris and Tommy Hilfiger in New York, was impressed by Glenlivet’s commitment to capturing the essence of Jamaica on film. Trident Castle, Boston Beach, and Mockingbird Hill served as the filming locations where English’s director clapboard signalled ‘Action!’

“To see how they paid attention to details and really brought forward the lifestyle of Jamaica into everything they were doing, it was absolutely amazing. They even wanted to give that experience to Thomas, a Jamaican countryside life, and still maintain the elegance of Glenlivet whisky across the entire shoot,” she shared.

Retained for her much-favoured oversight on big-budget overseas client projects, go-to producer Carleene Samuels of Creative Source Media, tapped casting director Kareen Blake Chin, hair stylist Melleisa Dawkins, and stylist Kaysian Wilson as local talent for Glenlivet.

“Carleene hired me to start the project last August,” Wilson shared with Sunday Lifestyle, divulging that the style directive given was “roots, high fashion, and romance with a luxury edge”.

“It was a solid collaboration between the Glenlivet marketing team and our team. It was high energy and hectic, but what shoot isn’t? I thrive in that kind of atmosphere. The electricity on set is exactly why I love what I do,” reflected Wilson, whose enviable client roster is dotted with music artistes Koffee, Chronixx, Lila Iké, Bounty Killer, and Jesse Royal.

Of her curated wardrobe selections for the shoot, she said, “We had a lot of the pieces from Wales Bonner and Rat & Boa, but there was also a very special collaboration with Nicholas Daley, a London-based designer with Jamaican roots. His work is deeply inspired by his memories of growing up and being raised by his Jamaican family.”

Daley, who founded his eponymous menswear brand 11 years ago and secured the 2025 Pratt Visionary Fashion Award last year, outfitted Doherty in one of his signature shirts — with subtle nods to both Jamaican and Scottish flags and flowers — for the Glenlivet shoot.

On her part, hair stylist Dawkins — whose credentials are stacked with work on Protoje, Shenseea and Koffee music videos — was thrilled to use Jamaican products for the shoot.

“We used Soft Touch Wax during the braiding process and Zimii Mousse to set and refine the style. I always enjoy incorporating local products when possible. It keeps the work grounded in homegrown quality,” she told Sunday Lifestyle.

“My assistant, Angel-Lee Morgan, worked alongside me. She braided Miqueal-Symone’s hair the day before filming to ensure everything was camera-ready and seamless for the shoot days,” she explained.

“One of my favourite moments was helping Thomas practise speaking the Jamaican dialect between takes. It became a fun cultural exchange that brought a lot of laughter to the set.”

KBC founder and casting director Blake Chin, looking back at the September shoot, said, “It was an easy-going set because we had a lot of preparation a month prior to shoot days, so there was a quiet confidence.

“It felt intentional and focused. It was the kind of environment where everyone understood the assignment and delivered at a high level,” assessed Blake Chin, who cast 22 Jamaicans for the Glenlivet shoot guided by the concept outline of “adventurous, fun, and mysterious”.

Having been commissioned by major brand names such as Clarks Originals, Puma, Levi’s, Billionaire Boys Club, and Adidas, this time around, she said her favourite takeaway from the Glenlivet shoot was a beach vignette shot at Boston Beach.

“There was something incredibly powerful about watching that scene unfold, seeing our faces, our energy, our nuance sit so effortlessly within a brand with such international prestige. It didn’t feel forced or performative. It felt earned.”

Recently lending her skill set to the well-received Bob Marley: One Love and Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story films, as well as the Hulu limited-TV series Black Cake, Blake Chin is currently casting a feature film set to shoot at the end of this summer.

Select Brands Category Manager, Sheldon Moffat, whose three-year tenure with the Jamaican wines, spirits, beers, and non-alcoholic beverages company includes overseeing The Glenlivet portfolio, was not surprised when the Pernod Ricard team shared that they were releasing The Glenlivet Jamaica Edition.

“I felt a sense of pride when they further shared that they would shoot the campaign in Jamaica,” he said.

Moffat posited that The Glenlivet is one of the most sought-after whiskies in Select Brands’ range of offerings: “From Glenlivet Founders to Glenlivet 18 Year Olds, they provide options that appeal to the palate and budgets from the discerning customer to the whisky-curious.”

The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Jamaica Edition campaign had a splashy launch at Flyfish Club in Manhattan last October, where Jamaican-American celebrity chef DeVonn Charles Francis crafted a Rock-inspired menu of artisanal bites. Naturally, both Williams and Daley made the guest list. The campaign was briefly suspended due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa, but was relaunched earlier this year. The Glenlivet team made a significant donation to the World Food Programme, which was operational in Jamaica in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophic disaster.

lifestyle@gleanerjm.com