Piper-Heidsieck launches Prohibition inspired bottle

Piper-Heidsieck has launched a limited-edition bottle and gift box to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Prohibition in the US.

Agents marched into bars, smashed bottles of wine and spirits and ushered in a new era of enforced abstinence at the start of 1920.

However, bootleggers ensured that Americans could still enjoy a reasonable amount of Champagne from 1920 to 1933, when President Franklin D Roosevelt brought Prohibition to an end.

The commemorative bottle is inspired by 1920s Prohibition-era design and features the brand’s logo from that era. A QR code transports consumers back to the Roaring Twenties through a special film that brings to life the bootleg process, from Reims to US speakeasies.

Piper-Heidsieck was a major supplier to the US trade before the Prohibition began, and archival images show bootleggers unloading cases of the iconic French fizz off the coast of Canada during 1920s.

Piper-Heidsieck’s general manager, Benoit Collard said: “The limited-edition Prohibition bottle is a celebration of young and old where innovation meets history. Reflective of a significant period of time in the brand’s rich and eccentric history, the bespoke bottle tells a story of the efforts of bootleggers, the underground speakeasy scene and notorious Gatsby-esque parties of the wealthy who had the foresight to stock up their cellars before 1920.

“Prohibition is a proud moment in time for Piper-Heidsieck. It displays the brand’s tenacity and bold nature, something which is very much alive in today’s operation.”

The limited-edition bottle is available in various international markets.