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Top 10
World’s most attractive spirit bottles
Whether it’s to mark an occasion as prestigious as The Queen’s accession to the throne, pay homage to a beautiful Swedish town, or celebrate their own personal triumphs, the level of craftsmanship some companies dedicate to the design of their bottle is spectacular to behold.
Are these the world’s most attractive spirit bottles?
However, spirit bottle designs vary greatly, from the ghastly to the gorgeous, the original to the ornamental and the plain to the presidential. Some bottles are best stashed away in the depths of the cupboard, whilst others deserve to be pride of place for all to admire.
Thankfully, most companies have considered that the beauty of the bottle can have an impact on its purchase potential, and have created near works of art to market their elixir —with a price tag to match, of course.
Whether for shelf standout, individuality in a duty free environment or to gain additional bids at auction, the aesthetics of a bottle can really make a difference.
We’ve listed 10 of the world’s most attractive spirits bottles – from Scotch to Cognac – that we feel are works of art in themselves.
Bowmore 1957
This exceptionally rare bottle contains Bowmore 1957, the oldest Islay Single Malt ever released. Distilled in 1957, this Scotch was aged in an oak cask for over half a century in the oldest maturation warehouse in Scotland, the No. 1 vault, before it was bottled in 2011. The bottle is hand-blown and sculpted by two of the world’s supreme glass artists, Brodie Nairn and Nichola Burns, the decorative glass waves reminiscent of the waves that clap against the warehouse, which lies below sea level.
Interwoven into the glass are flecks of platinum, one of the rarest precious metals on earth, and this is also used to form the neck collar, which is hand-engraved with the bottle number and spirit strength. Crowning the bottle is a platinum stopper, hand-crafted by Hamilton & Inches.
Two glasses and a water pitcher, also by Nairn and Burns, accompany the bottle in a case crafted by Peter Toaig, using hand-selected pieces of Scottish Oak.
Of the 12 bottles in existence, two were put up for auction last October (the proceeds shared between five Scottish charities), two were retained for the Morrison Bowmore archives and the remaining eight were available for purchase solely via the Bowmore Distillery on Islay, retailing at £100,000 each.
St-Germain
This elegant, French-inspired bottle contains the world’s first liqueur created using elderflower blossoms from the Alps. Limited quantities are available— the flowers are freshly handpicked over a matter of weeks to supply the production of St-Germain for a whole year. Each bottle is individually numbered to reflect the year in which they were picked.
The words “Vie Parisienne en Bouteille,” or “Parisian Life in a Bottle,” adorn the neck of the bottle, and the illusion of a Parisian lifestyle is certainly reflected in the design. This shapely, eight-sided fluted container has a vintage feel, as though it was designed at the turn of the century. It was actually introduced to the market in 2007, the design a tribute to the vibrant art-deco period, reflecting the artisan production of the liquid inside.
The award-winning liqueur is allegedly named after Saint Germain des Pres, an area of Paris that the creator, Rob Cooper, fell in love with on his frequent trips to the Alps and distillery. The brand was sold to Bacardi earlier this year for an undisclosed sum.
Gin Mare
The world’s first and only Mediterranean gin, Gin Mare – meaning ‘Sea Gin’ in Latin – is produced in a former chapel within a small fishing village on the Costa Dorada in Spain. Inspired by Mediterranean cuisine, it contains an exotic blend of botanicals including Arbequina olives, rosemary, thyme and basil, (symbolised by the four lines at the very top of the cap), as well as traditional botanicals such as orange peel, lemon peel, coriander seed and cardamom, all of which are distilled individually until the blending process.
The striking bottle design has several elements to it; the eye-catching cut-out olive leaf pattern, the chunky cap which doubles up as a convenient 50ml measure, the wave-inspired base of the bottle, and the blue and white colour scheme, which signifies both sky and clouds, and sea and surf.
The distillery — which was moved brick by brick from the town’s beach some years ago — features a Latin motto above the entrance: “Mundus appellatur caelum, terra et mare,” which translates as “the world is called heaven, earth and the sea,” and this motto also appears on the bottle.
Purity Vodka
The Ellinge Castle in southern Sweden dates back to the 13th century, and nestled inside is the production site of Purity Vodka, one of the smallest vodka distilleries in the world. The vodka is distilled an incredible 34 times in total, using a specially designed still made of copper and gold. During this process, 94% of the liquid is lost, and the remaining spirit is so refined there is no need to filter it.
Although this process is labour-heavy and can only be carried out in small batches, it might hold the key to explaining why Purity Vodka has won more awards than any other ultra-premium vodka, with repeated success in leading spirit competitions worldwide.
The distinctive, multi-faceted bottle was designed by Martin Lannering at Happy Forsman & Bodenfors, made with thick pressed glass to resemble a block of ice. The plum neck label bears the batch and bottle number, to emphasise the small batch, artisanal process.
Highland Park 50 Year Old
The Scottish island of Orkney is home to the most northerly Scotch producer in the world, Highland Park, which released its oldest and most prestigious whisky yet in the bottle above. The 50 Year edition of the Scotch was selected from five oak casks, which were distilled in 1960, and only 275 bottles were made available for purchase.
Internationally-renowned Scottish designer Maeve Gillies designed the bottle, finding her inspiration in the wild and rugged elemental forces of the island. Each bottle is hand-crafted, wrapped in ornate sterling silver, with the number ‘50’ intertwined in the nautical-inspired design.
A piece of Orcadian pink sandstone, sourced from the quarry that built the 15th century St Magnus’ Cathedral in Kirkwall, is inscribed with the Highland Park logo and set in the front of the bottle. On the back there is a dark glass disc which becomes translucent once the bottle is empty, and through this a tiny replica of the rosette window in the Cathedral is visible.
The bottle is presented in a hand-carved Scottish oak box, set with a sterling silver and glass porthole through which you can glimpse Highland Park logo on the bottle within.
Legacy by Angostura
Hailed as the world’s most expensive rum, Legacy by Angostura is the creation of the makers of the world’s most awarded rum range. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the independence of Trinidad, Angostura blended seven of their rarest and most precious rums, each with a minimum age of 17 years, releasing only 20 decanters of the liquid out into the world.
It would be no surprise if a sizeable chunk of the US$25,000 price tag of this rum was levered by the decanter itself. Presented in crystal, silver and red calf leather, it was designed by Asprey of London, renowned jewelers to the Prince of Wales, who were inspired by their own 1930s art-deco decanter, and Angostura’s bottles from 1824 and 1919.
Master craftsmen from ten different trades hand-craft each bespoke decanter, which is signed by Asprey and topped with a sterling silver ornament; a rare Trinidadian butterfly resting on a sugar cane. This is a motif of the rum itself, and it also represents the beginning of a harvest. It is presented in a wooden case, lined with silk and velvet and covered in the Asprey Ascot Red calf leather.
Diamond Jubilee by John Walker & Sons
John Walker and Sons celebrated the 60th anniversary of The Queen’s accession to the throne in style; bottling a blend of 60 year-old Scotch whiskies in 60 of these elaborate, diamond-shaped Baccarat decanters.
The unique blend of grain and malt whiskies were finished in a cask made of English oak from The Queen’s Sandringham Estate. Two small casks of the blend were aged at the Royal Lochnagar Distillery, on the edge of the Balmoral Estate.
Adorned with Britannia silver, the decanters have six legs to represent the decades of The Queen’s reign. The silver collar is set with a half-carat diamond, the Royal Arms – the John Walker & Sons monogram – and an individually numbered seal, shaped by acclaimed Scottish silversmiths, Hamilton & Inches.
Each decanter comes with a pair of hand-engraved crystal glasses and a leather-bound artifact book, set in a cabinet made of oak and pine from the Sandringham estate.
Good luck trying to get hold of one, though. One was gifted to The Queen, and the remaining 59 were sold around the world for £100,000 each, the proceeds donated to the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust — a charity which pays for the training of craftspeople in traditional skills in the UK.
Remy Martin Black Pearl Louis XIII
Aged in ancient oak barrels, it’s understandable that this limited edition cognac, Louis XIII Black Pearl, is a little heavy on the wallet.
Four generations of Cellar Masters have tended the blend of 1200 eaux de vie, which are aged between 40 and 100 years old and matured in a century-old tiercon — one of the oldest casks from the family’s personal reserve, which yields 786 bottles.
Only grapes from the Grande Champagne area, in the heart of the Cognac region in France, are selected to create the concoction within this steel-coloured decanter.
Designed by Baccarat and hand-blown from black crystal, it is a tribute to the signature Louis XIII decanter, which was originally modeled on a historic metal flask found in the Cognac region in 1569.
This decanter, however, is no old relic. Twenty experts were involved with the crafting of each bottle, which feature an engraved 24-carat rose gold neck ring, decorative platinum fleur de lis prints and matching crystal stopper. A bottle was sold for auction in September 2012 for over £10,000.
Bonita Platinum Tequila
As the first spirit launched by a celebrity, and the first Tequila to be distilled five times, Bonita Spirits seem to make a habit of staying one step ahead of the rest. American rapper Xzibit became a partner in Bonita Spirits after he was blown away by the taste of one of the first bottles ever created, sent to him by owner and business entrepreneur, Chris Brown.
Made from organic blue agave grown organically for 10 years at their Mexican distillery, the Tequila is fermented for 24 hours longer than standard production, distilled five times rather than the standard three, and filtered three times instead of once. The company professes that this process results in a smoother, purer Tequila.
Rather than the typical glass bottling, this Tequila is hand-numbered and hand-bottled in pure crystal decanters, and topped with a disco ball-esque crystal stopper. It is presented in a velvet-lined box and tied with a black satin tie.
Studer Swiss Premium, St Moritz Luxury Edition
Studer & Co has been producing spirits, fruit brandies and liqueurs since 1883, when the company was founded by Hans Studer. More than 100 years later the distillery still lies in the north-west foothills of the Swiss Alps, using local produce and pure water from its privately-owned Alpine sources. It is now tended by the fourth generation of the Studer family, who combine their rich heritage with a passion for innovation.
As a result, Studer & Co has won hundreds of awards for their design, packaging, distillery and the taste of their unique products. In the Vodka Masters 2012, The Spirits Business awarded this particular vodka, the St Moritz Luxury Edition, a Silver award —no mean feat when every award requires the agreement of the entire judging panel.
Inspired by the Engadine, a long valley in the Swiss Alps, Käthi Friedli-Studer designed this bottle in homage of the scenic Swiss town of St Moritz, and as a tribute to the nature surrounding it.