07/24/2026
Can you imagine seeing these on store shelves today?
Decanters began as practical vessels for serving wine and spirits, but by the mid-1900s, liquor companies had discovered a new way of making their product stand out on the shelves. In 1955, Jim Beam introduced its first ceramic Regal China bottles. Instead of expecting someone to pour whiskey into a decorative decanter at home, the company sold the whiskey inside a bottle designed to be kept after it was empty.
Other distillers followed, and the collectible liquor decanter business flourished from the mid-1960s through the late 1970s. The designs commemorated nearly everything imaginable, including wildlife, historic figures, celebrities, sports, holidays, military service, state anniversaries, local events, casinos, and tourist attractions. A hat, head, helmet, or other part of the figure often served as the stopper.
Collecting became so popular that enthusiasts formed clubs, followed new releases, attended conventions, and hunted for unusual regional designs. Jim Beam and Ezra Brooks became especially well known for producing increasingly elaborate ceramic bottles.
One collectible decanter even became part of television history. The bottle used as Jeannie’s home in I Dream of Jeannie began as a 1964 Jim Beam Christmas whiskey decanter. The show’s prop department repainted it with its colorful design after director Gene Nelson decided that the bottle had just the right shape. Several were used during filming, and one given to Barbara Eden after the series ended is now in the Smithsonian.
The collecting craze eventually faded as the market became crowded and decorating tastes changed. Today, many of these bottles are more nostalgic than rare, but they remain wonderfully imaginative pieces of advertising history.
