Why Limited-Edition Tequila, Whisky and Champagne is Selling Out Fast

Expensive wines and spirits have always attracted collectors and fans of the brands behind their names. Today, however, these consumers are seeking out the growing number of limited-edition releases that are hitting the market from the alcohol companies that they know and can’t get enough of.

Matthieu Yamoum, a certified sommelier and co-owner of Maison Mura, a luxury alcohol retailer in downtown Miami, says that a limited-edition wine or spirit means it’s produced in small quantities and only available until it sells out. Wines can be fashioned from any type of grape, and spirits, tequila, bourbon, rum, and other varieties are fair game.

“A brand might have 30, 300, or a few thousand of the bottle,” says Yamoum. “Its exclusivity doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s super pricey. It’s that there is only a certain amount of it, and it could be the unique way it’s aged or blended to create the wine or expression. It can also be related to the bottle itself, which may be decorated by a well-known artist.”

Tequila on the Rise

Either way, these special releases give established companies new stories to share, he says, and are a clever marketing tactic that captivates brand loyalists and new buyers. Maison Mura is able to source a breadth of limited-edition alcohol, but Yamoum says that it never shits shelves. “I have customers who pre-order them, so they’re sold out before they even come in,” he says.

Tequila Don Julio’s new Ultima Reserva is an example of a sought-after, rare spirit. Created in honor of the brand’s 80th anniversary, it’s an extra-anejo expression that’s rested for 36 months in oak casks which were used for aging bourbon and finished in seasoned Madeira wine casks.

Photo: Courtesy of Don Julio

After releasing only 4,000 cases of the first batch of Tequila Don Julio Ultima Reserva in 2021, the second bottling is now available in limited quantities ($499).

“Our late founder, Don Julio González, and his family planted this final agave harvest field in 2006, which was set aside for a special distillation to create this 36-month aged luxury Extra-Añejo tequila that preserves Don Julio González’s ultimate legacy,” says Christina Choi, the Senior Vice President of Tequila at Diageo North America, the company that owns Tequila Don Julio.

Scott Pinocci, the director of wines and spirits at the upscale resort Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, describes Ultima as “exceptional quality with a unique flavor.” “It’s the Rolls Royce of tequilas,” he says.

Maestro Dobel Tequila is another agave house with a limited edition covetable: the brand recently debuted Maestro Dobel 50 Onora: Laca Olinala, the second of three Doble 50 Cristalino bottle stoppers that showcase the traditional art form of Laca de Olinala. The stoppers are created in collaboration with the Mexico City design studio Onora, and less than 1,000 of the bottles with them are available for sale in the United States (starting from $250).

Quintessential Whisky

On the whisky front, Glenmorangie debuted the 2023 edition of The Cabdoll Estate 15 Years Old earlier this year, the third in a series of single-estate scotch that’s produced in a limited batch of 8,000 cases ($100).
Also in 2023, The Macallan James Bond introduced its 60th Anniversary collection of six bottles, each with a work of art inspired by a particular decade of the films ($1,007 a bottle).

Photo: Courtesy of The Glenmorangie Distillery Co

Other examples of spirits include the Belvedere Miami bottle, a vodka that pays homage to the namesake city with its bright pink label and neon green decal. It’s available only at top restaurants and bars in Miami and selling on menus for $1,100. Belvedere’s Miami edition is the newest of the brand’s collection of destination-themed bottles—other locales include Mykonos, Ibiza, and Cote d’Azur.

Champagne Level

Moving beyond spirits to wines, the latest top options are a duo of champagnes: Krug offers the Krug Clos d’Ambonnay. The bubbly was harvested in 2016 from Pinot Noir grapes that are grown in a single plot in the village of Ambonnay, considered among the most prestigious places for Pinot Noir champagne. The house produced 4,514 bottles of the wine, each individually numbered ($2,885).

Photo: Courtesy of Veuve Cliquot

Veuve Clicquot is behind La Grande Dame Rosé 2015, a gorgeous, effervescent cuvée crafted from pinot noir, chardonnay grapes, and pinot noir wine. This latest innovation is a collaboration with the Italian ceramicist Paola Paronetto who designed the keepsake textured pink box ($320).

If there’s an exclusive release that you’re eyeing, Pinocci of Ocean of House advises snagging it while you can. “It will be gone soon enough and is a bragging point item,” he says. “Plus, it’s going to look great on your bar shelf.”