Licor Beirão
See how D4R helped Licor Beirão stand out in GTR with a vibrant flagship identity inspired by Portugal’s sunshine, trams and heritage.
The liqueur of Portugal
The story of the Portuguese No.1 spirit is over a century old, but… It has just begun.
introduction
For Licor Beirão’s new flagship space at Porto Airport, our challenge was to transform a busy Global Travel Retail environment into a distinctive expression of Portuguese culture, flavour and hospitality.
The brief was to create a premium travel retail experience that would showcase Licor Beirão as a Portuguese icon, strengthen brand presence with international travellers, and inspire shoppers to take a piece of Portugal with them on their onward journey.
IDEA
Inspired by the yellow trams of Portugal, Art Deco forms and Licor Beirão’s own 1929 heritage, the concept brought together recognisable cultural cues with a contemporary retail language. The design drew from the curved silhouettes, timber detailing and crafted interiors of historic trams, using these references to create a space that felt nostalgic, warm and unmistakably Portuguese without becoming overly literal.
Yellow became the beacon. In a saturated airport environment, Licor Beirão’s brand colour was used to create instant standout, drawing attention to the product display and making the space visible to the passenger flow. Timber, brass-effect metalwork, white tile and black-and-white floor references added layers of Portuguese texture, warmth and premium craft.
The result was a retail identity that connected brand heritage with airport impact: bold enough to attract passing travellers, rich enough to reward closer exploration, and flexible enough to support product education, gifting and interaction.
insight & strategy
The strategy was built around three key drivers: amplified brand recognition, appreciation for a Portuguese icon, and memorable experience and service. The space needed to work hard commercially, but it also needed to build emotional connection, helping travellers understand Licor Beirão as part of Portuguese culture, not just another bottle on shelf.
We focused on creating an ownable retail identity for GTR: one with clear brand anchors, a signature shopper journey and sensorial moments that could spark curiosity.
Portuguese heritage became the foundation. Local cues, patterns, tasting rituals, illustrated ingredients and cultural references were layered into the environment to build a sense of place. Rather than simply telling shoppers that Licor Beirão is Portuguese, the space was designed to make them feel it through colour, form, materiality, scent, flavour and service.
Flavour was also central to the strategy. We used ingredient storytelling, tasting notes and visual cues to make the product more approachable, helping shoppers understand how Licor Beirão can be served, mixed and shared. The brand voice was designed to be evocative but accessible, balancing heritage and craft with a friendly tone that invited people in.
customer experience
The space was positioned on a main passenger thoroughfare, making visibility and flow key to the experience. A trolley-style taster bar sat at the front of the footprint, acting as both a brand beacon and an invitation for staff to engage passing travellers.
From there, shoppers embarked on a journey of discovery: illuminated hero displays made an impact, interactive screens supported cocktail and serving suggestions, ingredient displays brought flavour to life, and personalisation moments turned bottles into meaningful travel gifts. QR codes extended the experience beyond the store, linking shoppers to recipes and serving ideas.
realisation
The final design brought the Sunshine Heritage concept to life through a series of high-impact retail touchpoints. The taster trolley created an approachable sampling moment, while the central gondola combined product display with a personalisation station for custom labels. Wall displays and hero bays used illuminated graphics, product glorifiers and Portuguese material references to make each product feel elevated and easy to navigate.
Across the space, curved forms, warm materials, bold yellow, Art Deco details and ingredient-led storytelling worked together to create a premium retail identity that felt unmistakably Portuguese. The result was a bright, ownable and engaging airport experience; helping Licor Beirão stand out, connect with travellers and turn a bottle into a lasting memory of Portugal.
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