The Donn

Tiago Russo and Katia Martins

Tiago Russo is the Chief Design Officer at The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., a premium & luxury Irish spirits brand that aims to elevate and return to Ireland its former glory and reputation as home of the best whiskies in the world. Building an empire with a global mind-set and Irish heart. Over the last decade Russo has designed for some of the most respectable brands in the world. His impressive portfolio spans the luxury lifestyle domain from spirits to cosmetics, automotive to timepieces including: The Macallan, Dewar’s, The Dalmore, Craigellachie, Bacardi, Louis Vuitton, Patek Philippe, Coty Inc. and McLaren, to name a few. Russo has been obsessed with detailed design for much of his career and holds a Master’s degree in Product Design with Automotive Design specialisation. With over a decade of experience implausibly dedicated to design, Russo is the ultimate perfectionist, always focused on making ideas a reality with a spirit of purpose, accuracy and finesse. Mastering the full design process from concept through to production, Russo is continuously immersing himself in culture and innovation to create pioneering, meaningful designs. Revelation Designer of the Year in 2014 and collecting several awards and accolades over the last decade, Russo has been labelled one of the greatest luxury spirits and packaging designers of today. His design work for The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.; ‘The Devil’s Keep’ is an ultra-rare whiskey and has, since its launch in December 2020, attained the world record title for the most expensive inaugural whiskey bottle ever sold, and the overall winner of the Luxury Packaging Awards and the A’ Design Awards, marking another set of achievements on Russo’s creations within luxury product design, joined by the more recent record-breaking and award-winning creations The Brollach, The Emerald Isle, in collaboration with Fabergé, The Taoscán or The Aodh.