When was the last time you walked around your city and didn’t see someone with at least one tattoo? It’s probably been a while. Ink has become ubiquitous in our society as people strive to find new and creative ways to express themselves. Bulleit Bourbon, in its latest edition of Frontier Works, is tapping into that with limited-edition “tattooed” bottles.
Bulleit Frontier Works is a series of art pieces across that country that highlight makers that are at the frontier of their craft. Previous projects have included neon signs and using the Bulleit bottle to emboss colored images on paper (which were then enhanced by the individual artists’ talents and touches). Most recently, 24 tattoo artists worked together to create the world’s largest tattoo billboard.
This time around, Bulleit is again working with tattoo artists, but they’re bringing the ink to drinkers (dr-ink-ers, if you will) by releasing Bulleit Bourbon Tattoo Edition.
This is the first time the brand’s bottles have undergone any sort of cosmetic change/ Bulleit chose four artists for this project: Shawn Barber of Los Angeles, Jess Mascetti of New York, Thomas Hooper of Austin, and Jason Kundell of Portland. Each artist was tasked with channeling the frontier feel of Bulleit into a piece of art that was emblematic of their city.
“I’ve always thought the Bulleit bottle was badass because of its unique shape and iconic design,” Barber (of Memoir Tattoo in LA) said in a statement. “Putting my own unique spin on it was a fun challenge because I didn’t want to mess with the style too much, but did want to share what LA means to me through my art. Bulleit gave me a lot of creative liberty and I’m proud of how it turned out.”
- 1. Portland.
- 2. New York City.
- 3. Los Angeles.
- 4. Austin.
If you don’t give a damn about tattoos, the question you probably have at this point is: What about the juice? Is the whiskey different somehow?
Answer: No, it’s still the same Bulleit on the inside of the bottle. Sorry to all of you out there looking for a new special-edition whiskey to hoard away.
In addition to the artwork, each bottle comes with a scannable QR code, giving access to an augmented reality experience that brings the artist’s work to life.
The Bulleit Bourbon Tattoo edition bottles will be available for purchase in each artist’s respective state beginning in August and select bottles will be available nationwide, retailing for around $25.
