Whisky Bottles That Defines Craftsmanship
The Basquiat Bar Great Jones Distilling Co—Manhattan's sole whisky distillery—launched three bottles in cooperation with Basquiat's renowned artworks as part of its The Basquiat Bar. The Great Jones x Jean-Michel Basquiat Dinosaur Edition is based on his artwork titled 'Pez Dispenser,' while the Great Jones x Jean-Michel Basquiat Skull Edition is based on 'Untitled, 1982 (Skull)' and the exclusive Great Jones x Jean-Michel Basquiat Pineau de Charentes Wine Cask-Finished Bourbon is based on 'Untitled, 1982 (Crown).' The artist's artworks are featured on the front of all three expressions.
The Glenturret Eight Decades by Lalique The Glenturret Eight Decades will open in June 2023 as a tribute to artist James Turrell's 80th birthday. The whisky is packaged in glasses created by the American artist in partnership with the French glassware company Lalique. The bottle has been infused with a faint violet crystal colour, with the crystals distributed uniformly around the piece to retain transparency while also amplifying the sense of the whisky. The deep blue stopper's design was inspired by Egypt's Great Pyramids.
The Macallan Horizon The cooperation between The Macallan and Bentley Motors began in 2021, but it wasn't until a year later that the legendary companies showed their concept for The Macallan Horizon—a horizontal glass bottle with a 180° twist and no base to rest on. The bottle is made using components common to both labels' work, including recycled copper from defunct stills, aluminium, recycled wood, recyclable glass, and carbon-neutral leather. The product was ultimately released this year, with a whisky created by Kirsteen Campbell, Master Whisky Maker at The Macallan.
Bowmore ARC-52: The Mokume Edition Aston Martin built this triangular decanter to house one of Bowmore Single Malt's oldest whiskies. The upper half of the artwork is composed of carbon fibre and was created using a technique that replicates the layered patterns of mokume-gane, a Japanese metalworking procedure. The final appearance is inspired by the black rocks of Scotland's Loch Indaal bay, which is home to the Bowmore Distillery. In May of this year, Sotheby's auctioned off the lone masterpiece.
American Woman Whiskey The Lupori family, who own American Woman Whisky, commissioned California-based artist Paul McTaggart to create a one-of-a-kind custom-sculpted bottle that symbolises the spirit of America. The final image is of a woman's body down to her torso, including components inspired by New York's Statue of Liberty and Paris's Louvre's Greek sculpture of Venus De Milo. The whisky is available in three varieties, all of which are obtained from Kentucky and matured for two years in the Rockies before being bottled in a work of art designed by McTaggart.
Romulan Ale Rye Whiskey The Star Trek Romulan Ale Rye Whisky is a tribute to the drink that originally appeared in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. This whisky is a result of vacuum distillation, packaged in a piece of spectacular workmanship, in the spirit of matching the franchise's future essence. Its elaborate design—exactly as seen in the film—took years and prototypes to materialise in a glass container. The Romulan logo was printed directly on the glass in the finished piece using metallic gold hot stamping.
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Year of the Rabbit This January, Johnnie Walker celebrated the Lunar New Year in its own unique manner, releasing magnificent bottles that are pieces of art, capturing the essence of the Year of the Rabbit. For two distinct artworks, the company collaborated with Shanghai-based artist Angel Chen. The first is a limited-edition collection that features a contemporary depiction of the rabbit—the zodiac animal of 2023—in black, gold, blue, and red on the iconic Johnnie Walker Blue Label bottle. The second illustration was featured on the exterior packaging for John Walker & Sons King George V.
Hibiki 17-Year-Old Kacho Fugetsu Limited Edition This limited-edition whisky, enclosed in a silk-screened bottle, is inspired by Japan's natural beauty. 'Kacho Fugetsu' translates approximately to flower, birds, breeze, and moon—all of the elements featured on this bottle. The transparent glass item has 24 facets that depict the Japanese lunar calendar's 24 sekkis, or seasons. Although the whisky has been discontinued, it is still accessible from private collections across the world for those who are prepared to seek.