The World's Most Unusual Gin Bottles

7/7/2021

In recent years the gin industry has been giving much greater attention to how bottles look and feel. While it is what on the inside that will ultimately determine whether gin lovers will become repeat customers of a gin if they have haven't had a chance to try before they buy, we're taking at look at some of the distilleries and gin brands that have taken bottle aesthetics to a whole new level.

From innovative materials and clever quirks (like bottles that open with a special key!) to really special and unique production methods, and the world's most expensive gin bottle too - we have some stunning gin bottles coming up, and of course we'll be letting you know what is on the inside too and where you can pick up a bottle for yourself.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE: Let us know your favourite in the poll at the bottom of the guide!

Dr Squid Gin

Dr Squid Gin is made at Pocketful of Stones distillery in Penzance and comes in an eye-catching copper canister, which is an ode to the copper pot stills used in traditional gin production. The canister is engraved with Cornish scenery, wildlife and folklore, and the gin is made with squid ink and blue pea flowers to create its dark, inky hue which changes to a pinky purple with the addition of tonic.

Buy: via Amazon or Master of Malt

Adamus Gin

This is an absolutely corker of a bottle! Adamus gin hails from Portugal and its wonderfully oversized cork tops and white ceramic bottles pay tribute to this, with Portugal being a major producer of cork from their cork forests. Furthermore, the gin has a Portugese grape base spirit and features 18 botanicals including hibiscus, salvia, orange, lemon and ginger.

Review: Adamus Gin
Buy: Via Amazon

Gin David

Inspired by the renaissance, Gin David's glass bottle is shaped as the bust of Michelangelo's famous David statue. The gin's base spirit is made with grapes and the gin is distilled with botanicals including citrus, vanilla, elderflower, anise and iris (the symbol of Florence), before being filtered with Carrara marble - the same marble that Michelangelo used to create his world renowned statue.

Buy: Via Master of Malt

Procera Gin

Procera Gin, named after the juniper species 'Juniper Procera', comes in a beautiful hand blown and numbered glass bottle, each with a hand carved juniper wood stopper, so each bottle is completely unique. Made in Kenya, the bottles have mottled glass, a leather strap around the neck, and no label other than a spot of colour that signifies the which Procera Gin expression it is and an accompanying sample of botanical salt.

Review: Procera Gin
Buy: Via Amazon or Master of Malt

Giants Basalt Rock Gin

Launched in 2022, Giants Basalt Rock Gin is inspired by and distilled a stone's throw from the iconic UNESCO Heritage Site of Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland. The bottle mirrors the shape of Giants Causeway's hexagonal basalt columns and the gin itself is made with botanicals including sea buckthorn, lemon verbena, cubebs and seaweed, as well as water that is naturally filtered through basalt and drawn from a 600ft well.

Review: Giants Gin
Buy: Direct via Basalt Distillery

ENGINE

Engine is another wonderful example of the ingenious canister style design, presenting itself as a retro can of engine oil with a colour scheme and design that gives a nod to all things motor racing. The gin itself is produced in the Atla region of North-Western Italy and is inspired by 'rosolio', a spiced Italian liqueur that was once used as a digestive remedy.

Buy: Via Amazon or Master of Malt

Caprisius Gin - Special Edition

Caprisius Gin is distilled at Antica Quaglia Distillery in Italy and is inspired by all things Capri. One of the famous island's most iconic sites is the towering Faraglioni Rock formation that can be seen on its coast, and it is in the form of one of these rocks that these impressive bottles are shaped. The gin is distilled with juniper, thyme, marjoram, lemon and sea salt for a contemporary and saline flavour profile.

Review: Caprisius Gin
Buy: Direct from Caprisius Gin

Sixtowns Gin

Sixtowns Gin is named after the amalgamation of the six Staffordshire pottery towns in 1910 to establish the town of Stoke-on-Trent, and the shape of the bottles is inspired by the shape of the Staffordshire potters' kilns. The gin is distilled at Bros Distillery and it it features botanicals including ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon and elderflower.

Review: Sixtowns Gin
Buy: Direct from Sixtowns Gin or via Master of Malt

One Key Gin

More than just having a striking blue colour and cuboid shape, Slovenia's One Key Gin is named as such because there is a key in the bottle base that is required to open the top of the bottle! The botanicals used in the gin include juniper, coriander seeds and ginger.

Buy: Via Master of Malt

Studer Swiss Gold Gin

The Studer Distillery was founded in Switzerland in 1883, producing confectionery and liqueurs. The company is still family-owned today with the fourth and fifth generations now running the business together. Their opulent Swiss Gold Gin features lavender, ginger, cubeb peppers and lemongrass, complete with 24-carat gold glitter and a unique Matterhorn bottle.

Buy: Via Struder UK

Zing 72 Gin

One for the scientists out there! With the bottles resembling a conical flask and finished in an eye-catching copper colour, Zing 72 Gin gets its name from the 72-hour maceration of botanicals that takes place before distillation. The gin is distilled in Provence, France, and features botanicals including lavender, rosemary, thyme, chive, chamomile and blackberry.

Buy: Via Amazon or Master of Malt

Igneous Gin

What makes Igneous Gin's bottle unique is that they are made by hand by Co-Founder Katie in their own ceramic studio in the North West of Scotland. Katie individually hand casts and finishes each of the bottles, which are inspired by volcanic igneous rock, and you can see wonderful photos of the bottle making process in our interview with Co-Founder Miles.

Review: Igneous Gin
Buy: Direct from Igneous Distillery

Hopefully these gorgeous examples give you some inspiration for jazzing up your gin shelf and trying new gins of course! We'd love to hear which bottles have caught your eye recently, and crucially, did you find that the liquid inside met the expectation that the bottle gave you? Let us know on social media at @theginguide.

While the spirit on the inside should be the most important thing, the key really is to have a bottle to match and to help represent the gin, to appeal to purchasers and to help differentiate between one spirit and the next. And when the gin has gone, it is the bottle that you're left with and so many bottles are increasingly being kept to adorn gin shelfs or repurposed into lamps, soap dispensers and even candle holders. It is easy to see why gin bottle design has become an increasingly important part of purchase decisions for a large proportion of gin lovers in recent years.

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