Back when whisky houses shipped promotional items to bars worldwide, this type of jug was one of the most common — and today, one of the most collected.

About the product

The Aberlour water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Aberlour was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Before plastic advertising existed, the branded water jug was the spirit house's most common gift to the bar — a small, standing ad next to the bottle.

About the product

The Aberlour water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Aberlour was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Before plastic advertising existed, the branded water jug was the spirit house's most common gift to the bar — a small, standing ad next to the bottle.

About the product

The Auchentoshan water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Auchentoshan was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Water jug, waterjug, whisky jug - call it what you like. This one is one of only two examples we have on the shelf.

Expert description

Bacardi Romkande 1 is a vintage water jug featuring Bacardi branding, intended for serving rum and other drinks at the table.

The jug is what we call a vintage whisky jug - a used piece with the patina and history that comes with a genuine vintage find. Only 2 units of this exact jug are in stock, so be aware that it may show signs of wear from previous use. That is exactly the kind of detail that makes a vintage bar item special - a jug with a prior life, not a factory-fresh copy.

Bacardi is one of the world's most famous rum brands, founded in Cuba in 1862 by Facundo Bacardí Massó. This type of promotional item was historically used by bars and private homes to serve rum-based drinks, and pieces like it are now sought-after collectibles among bar equipment enthusiasts.

Specifications

Name: Bacardi Romkande 1
Type: Water Jug / Waterjug
Material: Ceramic/porcelain
Condition: Used, vintage - may show signs of wear
Units in stock: 2

Did you know?

Bacardi was founded in 1862 in Cuba and is today one of the best-selling spirits brands in the world - promotional items like this jug typically date from an era when bars used branded serving pieces as part of their identity.

See our full range of Bacardi

Whisky jug, water jug, waterjug - the name changes, the purpose stays the same: set the bottle aside and serve with style.

Expert description

Bacardi Romkande 2 is another vintage water jug featuring Bacardi branding, the sister piece to our Romkande 1 and likewise intended for serving at the table.

Like its companion, this is a used, vintage whisky jug - we only have 2 units of this exact one in stock, and it may carry visible traces of a previous life in a bar or home. That kind of patina is part of the charm of a genuine vintage find rather than a newly produced item: no two jugs have quite the same story.

The Bacardi brand dates back to 1862, when Facundo Bacardí Massó founded the company in Cuba. Promotional items like this jug were historically handed out to bars and restaurants as part of the brand's marketing, and they are popular today among collectors of vintage bar accessories.

Specifications

Name: Bacardi Romkande 2
Type: Water Jug / Waterjug
Material: Ceramic/porcelain
Condition: Used, vintage - may show signs of wear
Units in stock: 2

Did you know?

Vintage promotional serving pieces like this jug were typically produced in limited runs for specific bars or markets, making each surviving example a little unique today.

See our full range of Bacardi

A jug carrying a brand's logo was the bar's silent salesman: it sat out every night, reminding guests which whisky to order.

About the product

The Ballantines water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Ballantines was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Back when whisky houses shipped promotional items to bars worldwide, this type of jug was one of the most common — and today, one of the most collected.

About the product

The Ballantines water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Ballantines was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Before plastic advertising existed, the branded water jug was the spirit house's most common gift to the bar — a small, standing ad next to the bottle.

About the product

The Ballantines water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Ballantines was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Back when whisky houses shipped promotional items to bars worldwide, this type of jug was one of the most common — and today, one of the most collected.

About the product

The Ballantines water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Ballantines was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

A jug carrying a brand's logo was the bar's silent salesman: it sat out every night, reminding guests which whisky to order.

About the product

The Ballantines water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Ballantines was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Before plastic advertising existed, the branded water jug was the spirit house's most common gift to the bar — a small, standing ad next to the bottle.

About the product

The Ballantines water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Ballantines was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

A jug carrying a brand's logo was the bar's silent salesman: it sat out every night, reminding guests which whisky to order.

About the product

The Ballantines water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Ballantines was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

A jug carrying a brand's logo was the bar's silent salesman: it sat out every night, reminding guests which whisky to order.

About the product

The Ballantines water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Ballantines was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Back when whisky houses shipped promotional items to bars worldwide, this type of jug was one of the most common — and today, one of the most collected.

About the product

The Ballantines water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Ballantines was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Back when whisky houses shipped promotional items to bars worldwide, this type of jug was one of the most common — and today, one of the most collected.

About the product

The Ballantines water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Ballantines was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Back when whisky houses shipped promotional items to bars worldwide, this type of jug was one of the most common — and today, one of the most collected.

About the product

The Ballantines water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Ballantines was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Back when Beefeater shipped promotional jugs out to bars, it was a small standing ad next to the bottle — today it's a collector's item.

About the product

This Beefeater jug is a classic branded water jug, originally made as a promotional item for bars and homes where Beefeater gin was poured. It's used to serve cold water alongside the drink.

Today it's as much a collector's item for spirits enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit.

Back when Beefeater shipped promotional jugs out to bars, it was a small standing ad next to the bottle — today it's a collector's item.

About the product

This Beefeater jug is a classic branded water jug, originally made as a promotional item for bars and homes where Beefeater gin was poured. It's used to serve cold water alongside the drink.

Today it's as much a collector's item for spirits enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit.

Back when Beefeater shipped promotional jugs out to bars, it was a small standing ad next to the bottle — today it's a collector's item.

About the product

This Beefeater jug is a classic branded water jug, originally made as a promotional item for bars and homes where Beefeater gin was poured. It's used to serve cold water alongside the drink.

Today it's as much a collector's item for spirits enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit.

One of these stood on every bar counter in Britain once. The jug was the pub advertising space long before anyone called it branding, and it got filled with cold water every morning as the door was unlocked.

Please note: This is a used vintage jug, so it may show wear from its years in service. Every example is its own.

The expert's description

Bell's Water Jug 1 is a vintage water jug in Bell's livery, made for use behind the bar.

Water jugs like this were produced by the whisky houses and supplied free to pubs and hotels. In return the brand name sat on the table in front of the guest all evening, and the arrangement ran for decades across Britain and Ireland.

This jug has been in service, and it shows. Marks of that kind are part of the object rather than a fault in it, and they are why collectors separate working pieces from shelf pieces.

Specifications

Name: Bell's Water Jug 1
Distillery: Bell's
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Water jug
Edition: Vintage

Did you know?

Bell's used the bell as a logo as far back as the 1800s, since the name means bell in English. The same motif turned up on jugs, ashtrays, trays and everything else the house could get into a pub.

See our full range of Bell's Whisky

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Two drops of water can change a whisky more than ten minutes in the glass will. That is the entire reason the jug sits on the table at all, and why its spout is narrow enough to be almost annoying.

Please note: This is a used vintage jug, so it may show wear from its years in service. Every example is its own.

The expert's description

Bell's Water Jug 2 is a vintage water jug in Bell's livery, made for use behind the bar.

The narrow spout is not a design flaw. The jug is built to release water in small measures so the guest can control how much goes into the glass and the bartender avoids pouring too much too fast.

Jugs like this were supplied to pubs by the whisky houses as part of their marketing. Bell's was the best selling blend in Britain for decades, and the bar ware followed into thousands of bars across the country.

Specifications

Name: Bell's Water Jug 2
Distillery: Bell's
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Water jug
Edition: Vintage

Did you know?

Scottish distilleries themselves use spring water at room temperature when tasting professionally, and they usually dilute to around 20 per cent. That is far more water than most people add at home.

See our full range of Bell's Whisky

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Whisky collectors chase bottles. Sooner or later some of them work out that the things which stood around the bottles are at least as hard to find today. Jugs, trays and ashtrays were used up and thrown out, which is why they have grown scarce.

Please note: This is a used vintage jug, so it may show wear from its years in service. Every example is its own.

The expert's description

Bell's Water Jug 3 is a vintage water jug in Bell's livery, made for use behind the bar.

Bar ware from the spirits houses has a collecting field of its own, filed under breweriana in English. The pieces were produced in large numbers but used hard and rarely put away, which is exactly why they are difficult to find in decent condition today.

This jug carries the mark of a house that has had signage in British pubs since the 1800s. It is a working object with patina rather than a display piece, and it can be put straight back into use on the table at home.

Specifications

Name: Bell's Water Jug 3
Distillery: Bell's
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Water jug
Edition: Vintage

Did you know?

Most British pub jugs were made in the ceramics factories of Staffordshire, which also produced tableware for the domestic market. The factories printed brands to order, and the same shape could end up carrying ten different logos.

See our full range of Bell's Whisky

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There is something honest about an object that was never meant as decoration. The jug was made to be grabbed with wet hands, filled in a hurry and put down hard again. It survived anyway.

Please note: This is a used vintage jug, so it may show wear from its years in service. Every example is its own.

The expert's description

Bell's Water Jug 5 is a vintage water jug in Bell's livery, made for use behind the bar.

The shape is practical before it is pretty. A wide base so it does not tip, a solid handle so it can be caught one-handed, and a spout that doses rather than pours. All of it demanded by a workplace rather than by a designer.

Bell's supplied bar ware of this kind to pubs across Britain during the years when the house was the biggest blend in the country. The jugs came with the orders and stayed on long after the bottles were emptied.

Specifications

Name: Bell's Water Jug 5
Distillery: Bell's
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Water jug
Edition: Vintage

Did you know?

The water jug is one of the few objects in the bar world that has barely changed shape in a hundred years. The form solves the task, so nobody has found a reason to redo it.

See our full range of Bell's Whisky

Listen to our podcast:

Back when whisky houses shipped promotional items to bars worldwide, this type of jug was one of the most common — and today, one of the most collected.

About the product

The Bells water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Bells was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Before plastic advertising existed, the branded water jug was the spirit house's most common gift to the bar — a small, standing ad next to the bottle.

About the product

The Black & White water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Black & White was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

A jug carrying a brand's logo was the bar's silent salesman: it sat out every night, reminding guests which whisky to order.

About the product

The Black & White water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Black & White was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Back when whisky houses shipped promotional items to bars worldwide, this type of jug was one of the most common — and today, one of the most collected.

About the product

The Black & White water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Black & White was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Back when whisky houses shipped promotional items to bars worldwide, this type of jug was one of the most common — and today, one of the most collected.

About the product

The Black & White water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Black & White was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Before plastic advertising existed, the branded water jug was the spirit house's most common gift to the bar — a small, standing ad next to the bottle.

About the product

The Black & White water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Black & White was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.

Before plastic advertising existed, the branded water jug was the spirit house's most common gift to the bar — a small, standing ad next to the bottle.

About the product

The Black & White water jug is a classic branded jug, originally made as a promotional item to sit at bars and in homes where Black & White was poured. It's used to add water to whisky drop by drop or in small amounts, letting the aromas open up.

Today it's as much a collector's item for whisky enthusiasts as a piece of everyday bar kit — both uses work well.