The frenzy around collecting rare spirits intensifies as fall approaches, when more distilleries release their limited-edition spirits. Along with a passion for bourbon, rum, and tequila, rare liquor collectors also appreciate the bottles that contain them. For some, the design of the bottle is reason enough to collect. Here are a few of the most beautiful liquor bottles in the world.
Bourbon
Woodford Reserve Baccarat comes in an elegant crystal bottle, a slightly stretched-out version of the ordinary bottle’s silhouette. It comes tucked into a red box. The bottle that holds this groundbreaking single-barrel bourbon is topped by a racehorse and rider, signifying Kentucky’s heritage. The glass is oval and faceted.
Cognac
Louis XII Remy Martin Black Pearl Grande Champagne and Louis XIII Remy Martin Rare Cask Grande Champagne will set you back five figures, but the extraordinary look of the bottle will be the showstopper in your liquor cabinet. Modeled after a mid-16th-century flask discovered on the site of a battlefield in the late 19th century, the studded glass is adorned with a fleur de lis.
Tequila
The artisans who make tequila bottles continue to outdo themselves. Anywhere you find rare tequila for sale, you’ll also find beautiful bottles. Grand Mayan Ultra Aged comes in hand-painted, rounded ceramic jugs featuring symbolic flowers and leaves. The Day of the Dead features in many skull-shaped bottle designs, including Crystal Head, a collaboration between actor Dan Ackroyd and designer John Alexander. Clase Azul Reposado bottles, which look like the legs of a table, are handmade and painted blue and white in honor of the agave that’s so important to making prime tequila.
Whiskey
Elegant, interesting bottles abound for both whiskey and whisky. Haig Club whiskey comes in a square blue bottle that resembles a flask or a bottle of fine men’s aftershave. Bell’s Whisky container is—you guessed it—shaped like a bell. Bell’s issues variations of the bottle celebrating various royal occasions as events may warrant. Hibiki Whisky’s bottle gained fame in the Bill Murray film Lost in Translation,and it adds a minimalist touch to your liquor shelf.
Gin
Citadelle French Gin’s blue fluted bottle and old-school label evokes Paris in the 1920s. Sharish Blue Magic Gin comes in a fishtail shaped vessel, and the blue liquor inside turns pink when you add tonic. Bacardi produced just five Baccarat crystal-, diamond-, and sapphire-studded bottles in its Bombay Sapphire Revelation collection. These bottles, priced at $200,000 each, toured airports in New York, Dubai, Sydney, Singapore, and London to raise money for Smile Train, a charity that supports children who need surgery for cleft palates.
Vodka
Vodka-maker Ladoga introduced its luxury Imperial Collection in 2012. Fabergé-inspired eggs made of enamel, gold, and crystals enclose a decanter, a bottle of ultra-premium vodka, and even glasses in which to serve it. The crown of each egg is a gold eagle designed by a master Italian jeweler.
As the craze for rare liquors continues, a parallel passion for beautiful liquor bottles has distilleries introducing new and ever more gorgeous designs.
