The Macallan, a single malt owned by Edrington Group, appointed Rise after a pitch through the AAR.
The agency will work on communications ideas in markets including the US, UK, Spain and Taiwan. The Macallan's creative agency is Campbell Doyle Dye.
Simon Mathews, a partner at Rise, said: "This fits with our experience in the luxury market and we enjoy using strategy workshops to start unearthing new communi- cations opportunities."
Meanwhile, Rise has hired Alex Barwick as a strategist. Barwick was previously a communication strategist at Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam, working on Nike and Electronic Arts.