Global Spirits Miniatures Market

Miniatures are very useful things to have in your drinks cabinet. They are perfect if you’re keen to try a few different styles to help you decide which full-size bottle to buy; if you want to make a particular cocktail and need a specific ingredient; or if you’re after something nice and easy to take on a picnic or party. Whatever reason, it’s a good idea to have some at home.

The earliest known airplane bottle dates to 1862. It was glass and likely held approximately two ounces of whiskey. But this was four decades before the Wright Brothers flew a plane. IN 1889, JOHN POWER & SON IRISH WHISKEY became the first spirits company in the world to make miniature bottles.

Miniatures were a sample bottle used by liquor company salesmen. These were in occasional use prior to Prohibition but then became more widespread after Repeal, when an entire nation had to be reintroduced to liquor, one small sample at a time. The tasters—also known as testers, shooters, minis and nips—also tended to be cheaper for the consumer, since these samples were tax exempt for a time. A fleeting sense of well-being could be purchased at an appealing discount, compared to pints or quarts.

But even after taxes came into force, everybody still loved the adorable dollhouse bottles. But cuteness was soon co-opted by business—first by the airline industry, which found that minis could be doled out to passengers with minimal spillage, with each bottle containing a controlled amount of liquor, generally between 1.5 and 2 ounces. The airlines also produced a generation of collectors, as many pocketed the freebies.

In the early 1960s, the first in-room hotel minibar appeared. These also proved to have an insatiable appetite for mini liquors, which were needed to supply guests willing to overpay for a late-night drink in the privacy of their room.

Glass is a widely used material for the packaging of spirits. Strong demand in the retail market for spirits miniature bottles has encouraged many independent product designers to manufacture designer bottles for spirit packaging.