Restricted-edition spirits are more and more central to premium alcohol manufacturers’ seasonal methods. For Lunar New 12 months 2026, manufacturers are combining zodiac motifs, festive packaging and collaborations with artists and designers to create collectible expressions that resonate with gifting traditions and cultural rituals.
The 12 months of the Horse sees premium spirit homes collaborate with up to date artists and designers so as to add each cultural depth and visible distinction. Johnnie Walker partnered with haute couturier Robert Wun to reinterpret the horse in a sculptural, avant-garde design; RĂ©my Martin commissioned Chinese language artist Xue Track to reimagine its Centaur emblem; Royal Salute labored with illustrator Feifei Ruan to carry festive iconography to life; and Louis XIII continued its collaboration with papercut artist Liu Lihong.
In a market the place whisky and premium spirits expertise seasonal and financial fluctuations, limited-edition releases allow manufacturers to capitalise on the gifting phase, capturing shoppers looking for one-of-a-kind purchases forward of festive gatherings. That is the place design and visible presentation change into key as shoppers who should not common patrons of the model could make an impulse buy based mostly on the aesthetic enchantment of the bottle or packaging, permitting the model to succeed in new audiences past its current buyer base.
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Martell
For the 12 months of the Horse, Maison Martell continues its annual zodiac collection with L’Or de Jean Martell — Assemblage du Cheval. Restricted to only 500 individually numbered decanters worldwide, the home’s famend cuvée turns into the car via which the symbolism of the lunar calendar is interpreted annually, with 2026 centred on the horse.
Cellar grasp Christophe Valtaud has included the eaux-de-vie from earlier Years of the Horse, many drawn from Grande Champagne. The mix retains its depth and focus, whereas bringing ahead a brighter fragrant profile and a extra outlined vitality on the palate. Notes of honey, candied fruit and florals sit alongside crimson fruit and blackcurrant.
As with earlier editions, Martell’s presentation is integral and this 12 months isn’t any exception. Created in collaboration with Baccarat, the mouthblown crystal decanter is topped with a crimson crystal horse’s head stopper and set on a gold-toned base. Each bit is engraved and housed in a wood case, positioning the discharge firmly throughout the class of unique collectible spirits slightly than customary seasonal packaging.
Singapore celebrates the launch with a short lived Home of Martell set up at ION Orchard. Framed across the customized of Lunar New 12 months visiting, the area combines retail with cultural programming — together with calligraphy classes and artist collaborations, alongside limited-edition bottlings of Martell Cordon Bleu and VSOP.
The Glen Grant
For Lunar New 12 months 2026, The Glen Grant presents a limited-edition trio centred on its core age expressions: the 12-12 months-Outdated, 15-12 months-Outdated and 18-12 months-Outdated. The Speyside distillery reframes its established vary via seasonal packaging and gifting cues aligned with the 12 months of the Horse. Every whisky is housed in a zodiac-themed reward field accompanied by two branded glasses — a not-so-subtle nod to the cultural choice for paired choices through the festive interval. The horse motif just isn’t overbearing, permitting the distillery’s identification to stay foregrounded whereas signalling the festive event.
Customers will nonetheless recognise The Glen Grant’s long-standing emphasis on fruit-driven character and the model’s use of ex-bourbon barrels and remade hogsheads. The 12-12 months-Outdated stays probably the most accessible of the three — with notes of orchard fruit, caramel and almond — suited to daytime gatherings and highball serves. The 15-12 months-Outdated strikes into spiced pear, apricot and toffee whereas on the prime quality, the 18-12 months-Outdated introduces deeper tones of malted caramel, vanilla and raisin, with a rounded profile designed for slower consumption or measured cocktail variations.
Pairing options are tailor-made to the festive desk — from pineapple tarts to bak kwa — putting the whisky vary inside acquainted Lunar New 12 months flavours slightly than positioning them solely as formal after-dinner tipples. This localisation is bolstered in Singapore via retail distribution at chosen supermarkets and specialist retailers, alongside bar activations at venues together with Skai Bar, Evening Hawk and The Different Room. For Lunar New 12 months 2026, the distillery positions familiarity itself as a part of the ritual, providing collectors and reward patrons a recognisable single malt dressed for the event.
Hennessy
For Lunar New 12 months 2026, Hennessy unveiled the zodiac editions of Hennessy V.S.O.P, Hennessy X.O and Hennessy Paradis — offered in red-toned packaging that includes a galloping horse motif. Alongside the redesigned labels, Hennessy has launched a Singapore-specific aspect via a partnership with Bee Cheng Hiang, marking the cognac home’s first native Lunar New 12 months collaboration. The pairing of cognac and bakkwa locations the model straight throughout the festive desk. Pop-up activations at Bee Cheng Hiang’s Chinatown and Serangoon retailers — in addition to a showcase at FairPrice Best Clarke Quay — lengthen the collaboration into retail environments through the peak pre-Lunar New 12 months interval.
The marketing campaign is additional supported by a Reunion Package designed for at-home get-togethers. Every equipment consists of a regular bottle of Hennessy, tulip glasses, festive decorations and chosen Bee Cheng Hiang snacks, distributed by way of a purchase-with-draw mechanic operating via the season. The technique ties quantity gross sales to the possibility of buying a curated celebratory set, reinforcing the model’s presence at home gatherings.
Based in 1765 and rooted within the Charente area of France, Hennessy has lengthy relied on limited-edition packaging to take care of cultural relevance throughout markets. The home makes use of this similar advertising technique for the Lunar New 12 months by honing in on the visibility of the 12 months of the Horse by leveraging daring design, native partnership and grocery store distribution to embed itself inside on a regular basis reunion rituals slightly than positioning the editions solely as a one-off collectors’ buy.
Johnnie Walker
This Lunar New 12 months, Johnnie Walker as soon as once more turns to high fashion for its Blue Label launch, commissioning Hong Kong-born, London-based designer Robert Wun to reinterpret the 12 months of the Horse. The collaboration sees Wun — recognised for his sculptural silhouettes and theatrical method to type — apply his up to date lens to the zodiac theme. The horse turns into a logo of ahead movement and resolve, aligning with Johnnie Walker’s long-standing “Preserve Strolling” narrative. The bottle design carries this vitality via daring graphic therapy, aimed toward collectors of Blue Label in addition to a youthful luxurious viewers attuned to style crossovers.
Contained in the bottle stays Johnnie Walker Blue Label, drawn from uncommon casks throughout the model’s reserves. Its profile of honey, vanilla, dried fruit and delicate smoke continues to anchor the discharge with the limited-edition exterior offering the seasonal distinction. The launch underscores Johnnie Walker’s continued funding in cultural partnerships, significantly inside artwork and style. By collaborating with a couturier who exhibits on the Paris Haute Couture calendar, the model reinforces Blue Label’s place inside a broader luxurious dialog slightly than confining it to whisky connoisseurs alone.
RĂ©my Martin
For Lunar New 12 months 2026, Rémy Martin companions with Chinese language up to date artist Xue Track to reinterpret the home’s Centaur emblem for the 12 months of the Horse. The collaboration centres on a newly commissioned art work, which varieties the idea of limited-edition displays of Rémy Martin XO, CLUB and VSOP. Xue Track — recognized for his collage-based apply that merges printed fragments with ink methods — depicts the Centaur main a bunch of horses ahead. The picture attracts a parallel between the zodiac animal and Rémy Martin’s long-standing image, positioning each as figures of momentum and path. The composition is rendered in layered reds and metallic tones, designed to translate successfully onto bottle and field.
Essentially the most elaborate expression seems on Rémy Martin XO. The sliding reward field carries the total art work in embossed metallic element, whereas the decanter and neck collar are completed with a golden Centaur drawn from Xue’s design. Rémy Martin VSOP receives a lighter therapy, with Xue Track’s collage tailored to the label and reward field of the frosted bottle. The emphasis right here is on gifting, reinforcing VSOP’s place as an accessible entry level through the festive season.
As with many Lunar New 12 months releases, the collaboration extends past packaging into themed cocktail serves, however the focus stays on visible authorship. By inviting a highly-visible Chinese language artist to reinterpret its emblem, RĂ©my Martin locations up to date artwork on the centre of its seasonal technique, utilizing cultural partnership to resume acquainted expressions with out altering the liquid itself.
Louis XIII
For the 12 months of the Horse, Louis XIII presents a Lunar New 12 months coffret that continues its collaboration with conventional papercut artist Liu Lihong, now in its fourth 12 months. The 2026 design combines the zodiac horse with a vibrant crimson hippeastrum — a flower related to success and renewal. Created utilizing conventional Chinese language stamp methods, the imagery displays the message “一樽腾达，马上宏图” — linking the concept of development with the arrival of spring. The general impact is celebratory with crimson because the dominant visible cue.
Contained in the coffret stays the Louis XIII Traditional decanter, composed of eaux-de-vie sourced solely from Grande Champagne and aged in outdated Limousin oak tierçons. The emphasis rests on continuity with generational mixing, prolonged maturation and provenance as markers of rarity. By renewing its partnership with a recognised craft heir, Louis XIII reinforces its alignment with heritage disciplines past Cognac. The Lunar New 12 months version doesn’t search novelty in flavour, however in context, positioning the coffret as a ceremonial object suited to the gifting rituals that outline the season.
Royal Salute
For Lunar New 12 months 2026, Royal Salute has launched a particular version that centres on illustration. The home has partnered with Shenzhen-born, New York-based illustrator Feifei Ruan to interpret the theme “Ignite the New 12 months”, translating festive symbolism onto the bottle and presentation field. Ruan’s design incorporates lanterns, firecrackers and plum blossoms, rendered in saturated color and layered element. The composition attracts on Lunar New 12 months iconography whereas referencing Royal Salute’s personal heritage codes, creating a visible dialogue between Chinese language celebration and Scotch custom. The result’s an ornamental new bottle aimed squarely on the gifting market.
The whisky itself stays in line with the Home fashion. On the nostril, candy pear and citrus are supported by vanilla, dry oak and light-weight smoke. The palate is full and fruit-led, shifting via orange marmalade and contemporary pear earlier than introducing spice and hazelnut. The end is dry with a mild heat.
As with many seasonal releases, the emphasis is on presentation. By commissioning a recognised up to date illustrator, Royal Salute refreshes an current expression for the festive calendar, utilizing narrative and visible identification to mark the 12 months of the Horse.
The Dalmore 18 Lunar New 12 months 2026 Version
For Lunar New 12 months 2026, The Dalmore releases a restricted version of its 18-12 months-Outdated, offered in a festive field designed for gifting. The version emphasises presentation and event over reinterpretation of flavour, with complementary engraving and supply providers enhancing its enchantment as a celebratory reward.
The whisky itself is aged in American white oak ex-bourbon casks and 30-year-old Matusalem Oloroso sherry casks, highlighting the home’s attribute depth and richness. Tasting notes comply with the acquainted Dalmore profile: the nostril combines vanilla, darkish chocolate, English marmalade and candy liquorice, whereas the palate reveals chocolate-covered raisins, citrus, espresso, nutmeg and spice. The end is lengthy, with stewed fruit and toffee.
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