These masterpieces are as exquisite as the whiskey they hold, featuring work by world-renowned artists as well as a Star Trek connection
The Basquiat Bar
Exceptional whiskies are revered as collector’s items the world over. While age and flavour remain a point of pride for the distilleries that birthed these beauties, the spotlight on the design of whiskey bottles has opened avenues for artistic collaborations that add to the legacy of the spirits. Recently, a distillery in Manhattan adorned three exquisite bottles in art by Jean-Michel Basquiat. There was also a piece designed by Aston Martin for Bowmore, which was auctioned for over Rs2 crore. Here’s a look at all the stunning whiskey bottles that were unveiled this year, or are still available in the market.
As part of its The Basquiat Bar, Great Jones Distilling Co—Manhattan’s only whiskey distillery—launched three bottles in collaboration with Basquiat’s iconic artworks. These include the Great Jones x Jean-Michel Basquiat Dinosaur Edition from his artwork titled ‘Pez Dispenser,’ the Great Jones x Jean-Michel Basquiat Skull Edition from ‘Untitled, 1982 (Skull)’, and the exclusive Great Jones x Jean-Michel Basquiat Pineau de Charentes Wine Cask-Finished Bourbon, featuring ‘Untitled, 1982 (Crown).’ All three expressions feature the artist’s artworks on the front of the bottle. Website


The Glenturret Eight Decades by Lalique
Launched in June 2023, the Glenturret Eight Decades is a celebration of artist James Turrell’s 80 years. The whisky is bottled in glassware designed by the American artist himself, in collaboration with the French glassware brand, Lalique. The bottle is injected with a pale violet crystal hue, with the crystals spread evenly across the piece to maintain transparency while also magnifying the whisky’s perception. The design of the deep-blue stopper was inspired by the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Website
The Macallan Horizon
The Macallan and Bentley Motors began their collaboration back in 2021, but it was only a year later that the iconic brands revealed their prototype for The Macallan Horizon—a horizontal glass bottle with a 180° twist and no base to stand on. Made with materials common to the work of both labels, the bottle features recycled copper from disused stills, aluminium, recycled wood, and recyclable glass and carbon-neutral leather. The brands finally revealed the product this year, with a whiskey by Kirsteen Campbell, Master Whisky Maker at The Macallan. The bottle was recently distributed as a part of The Macallan’s Monterey Car Week VIP package, but its on-shelf date continues to remain a mystery. Website


Bowmore ARC-52: The Mokume Edition
This triangular decanter designed by British automaker Aston Martin holds one of Bowmore Single Malt’s oldest whiskies. The carbon fibre top half of the piece was made using a technique that mimics the layered patterns of mokume-gane, a Japanese metalworking process. The final look is a nod to the black rocks of Loch Indaal bay in Scotland, home to the Bowmore Distillery. The single masterpiece was auctioned at Sotheby’s in May this year. Website
American Woman Whiskey
After the Lupori family, who own American Woman Whiskey, envisioned a unique custom-sculpted bottle that celebrates the spirit of America, they commissioned the idea to California-based artist Paul McTaggart. The final look is of a woman’s body down to her torso, with elements inspired by the Statue of Liberty in New York and the Greek sculpture of Venus De Milo at the Louvre, Paris. The whiskey comes in three expressions, all sourced from Kentucky and aged for two years in the Rockies before being bottled in a thing of beauty designed by McTaggart. Website


Romulan Ale Rye Whiskey
The Romulan Ale Rye Whiskey from Star Trek is an ode to the drink that first featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. In the spirit of matching the futuristic essence of the franchise, this whiskey is a product of vacuum distillation, bottled in a piece of stellar craftsmanship. Its intricate design—the exact one featured in the movie—took several years and prototypes to materialise in a glass bottle. In the final product, the Romulan logo was stamped directly on the glass through metallic gold hot stamping. Website
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Year of the Rabbit
This January, Johnnie Walker marked the onset of the Lunar New Year in its own special way—with the release of stunning bottles that are works of art, capturing, in essence, the Year of the Rabbit. The brand partnered with Shanghai-based artist Angel Chen for two unique artworks. The first one, a modern interpretation of the rabbit—the zodiac animal of 2023—represented in hues of black, gold, blue and red, dresses the classic Johnnie Walker Blue Label bottle for a limited-edition series. The second artwork was used to illustrate the outer packaging for John Walker & Sons King George V. Website


Hibiki 17-Year-Old Kacho Fugetsu Limited Edition
This limited-edition whisky, housed in a silk-screened bottle, takes inspiration from the natural beauty of Japan. ‘Kacho Fugetsu’ roughly translates to flower, birds, breeze and the moon—all the elements represented on this bottle. The clear glass piece features 24 facets, representing the 24 sekkis, or seasons, in the Japanese lunar calendar. Discontinued now, the whisky is available from private collections around the world for those willing to look.