T House has done an impeccable job of creating gin packaging that is both elegant and luxurious. The bottle’s structure is inspired by the design of a bird’s cage, and the glass stopper at the top of each bottle is inspired by the traditional headwear worn by Empress Cixi, a Chinese empress dowager and regent who was the de facto supreme ruler of China in the late Qing dynasty for 47 years, from 1861 until she died in 1908. The illustration on each Lebel represents the image of a bird that’s within the cage. While the bottles are simple, they are utterly exquisite. It’s important to note that a lot is going on within the design and the thought behind the implementation, but nothing about these gin bottles is overwhelming; they’re perfectly executed.

A visiting dignitary brought the gift of London dry gin to the Forbidden City, and in return the empress gave him a rare bird, held within a beautifully crafted cage.