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The Best New Lunar New Year Bottles for Gifting
Across East and Southeast Asia, the Lunar New Year is widely considered the most important holiday of the year. Also known as “Spring Festival,” the holiday naturally follows the lunar calendar. This year, the Lunar New Year falls on Tuesday, February 17, and celebrations usually last around two weeks, culminating in the Lantern Festival at the start of March.
It might be confusing as to why liquor brands tend to drop special editions, or in certain cases, entire collections, devoted to the celebrations. That’s because the Lunar New Year is also considered an auspicious time to gift cherished loved ones.
This year marks the Year of the Horse, and more specifically, the Year of the Fire Horse. While last year, the Year of the Snake, was all about inward reflection and quiet evolution, the Fire Horse ushers in a more charismatic time of freedom and energy, and independence over conformity. For special edition bottles crafted for Lunar New Year, distilleries seek to emulate that energy.
“When creating the Zodiac Collection Horse Edition [for Hennessy], my idea was to show that for some eau de vies, time almost doesn’t have an impact on them,” says Hennessy master blender Renaud Fillioux de Gironde. “What I mean by that is, of course, they have a great maturity. They have such energy, such life. This energy, in many ways, mirrors the spirit of the Fire Horse itself, an enduring symbol of movement, strength, and momentum, steeped in time-honored history while surging boldly into the future.”
The fiery energy of this year’s zodiac symbol has also found its way into the bottle design for all of these special editions, some also tapping Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) artists to bring the concept to life, giving their recipients a constant reminder of what’s to come for 2026 and what they should seek to embody.
Well-considered food and drink play an important role in Lunar New Year celebrations, from hand-stamped mooncakes that bring in the sweet moments of life, to shared pours and gifts of spirits such as baijiu and Cognac.
Whether you’re on the lookout for a Lunar New Year gift or a bottle to enjoy at home with loved ones to celebrate the festivities, here are some of the special bottles we have our eye on in the Year of the Fire Horse.
Kavalan Single Malt Whisky: Golden Steed & Peonies
Food & Wine / Kavalan Pure Taiwan
Taiwan’s pioneering whisky distillery, Kavalan, distills and ages its spirits in Yilan using soft snow and Central Mountain water, and is known for its award-winning single malts. This special gift set by the brand, features a bottle of their Triple Sherry Cask Single Malt Whisky, matured in Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez, and Moscatel sherry casks. For those just getting into the world of peated whiskies, a sherry bomb whisky like this one is a fruity and smooth introduction, and an easy sipper for all whisky aficionados.
“The Year of the Horse reminds us to move forward with courage, determination, and grace — values that reflect Kavalan’s journey,” says Y.T. Lee, chairman of Taiwanese beverage company King Car Group. “This release captures the spirit of Lunar New Year, a time for family, renewal, and celebration.”
The bottle, which features custom artistry celebrating The Year of the Horse and the blooming peony flower, is accompanied by a custom-branded tulip-shaped nosing glass. The launch is particularly exciting, considering that in previous years, their Lunar New Year sets were not available for purchase in the U.S.
Don Julio 1942 Year of the Horse Edition
Food & Wine / DIAGEO
Don Julio 1942 is the brand’s most premium product: an añejo tequila that rests in barrels for a minimum of two and a half years, collecting flavors of roasted agave and gourmand notes of caramel, vanilla, and warm spices. Their Year of the Horse Edition features a custom design that blends the symbolism of the Fire Horse with the traditional Mexican ikat rebozo pattern, nodding to the spirit’s origins.
Their Lunar New Year campaign goes beyond the bottle as well, celebrating founder Don Julio González’s tequila-making journey, which started in 1942 — also the Year of the Horse — with a clothing capsule collaboration between Don Julio and Max Siegelman of Siegelman Stable that will donate 10% of net proceeds to The Asian American Foundation (TAAF).
Rémy Martin x Huang Yuxing Collection
Food & Wine / Rémy Martin
“Feet on the ground, head in the stars” is the motto of Cognac producer Rémy Martin, whose symbol of the centaur was a natural fit for a Year of the Horse collaboration. It came in the form of bespoke artwork by Huang Yuxing, an artist who set out “to break Chinese tradition and surpass Western modernism.”
The result is a collectible gift box featuring an intricate patchwork of elements from Rémy Martin’s history set on an auspicious red backdrop, with a bold centaur leading a herd of five horses into the future. Inside, a bottle of XO Cognac with rich notes of autumn fruits, spice, and an unexpectedly fresh passion fruit. In Cognac language, XO stands for Extra Old and can only be labeled as such if the youngest bit of the liquid inside has been barrel-aged for a minimum of ten years.
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Lunar New Year
Food & Wine / DIAGEO
Johnnie Walker Blue Label is a staple in many Asian households when reaching for something special to pour. This limited-edition bottle features a galloping horse mounted by a mysterious rider in billowing cloaks, her face covered. Its creator is Hong Kong-born fashion designer, Robert Wun, who is known for his avant-garde, sculptural garments.
“Pushing boundaries is integral to storytelling, and that’s how I approach my work,” says Wun of the collaboration. “How can I go further? How can I bring magic to the collaboration? Where will the chemistry take us? For the Year of the Horse, this connection felt especially meaningful — the horse charges forward, symbolising optimism and a relentless drive to push boundaries.”
Inside the bottle, find a deep golden scotch with heavy peat and notes of honeyed nuts, vanilla, and citrus.
Hennessy The Horse Edition
Food & Wine / HENNESSY
Lunar New Year goes ultra-luxury with this launch by Hennessy, the first of their new Zodiac Collection, featuring twelve rare Cognacs inspired by each Chinese zodiac animal. A coveted collectible, the brand is only making 50 of these bottles available.
Hand-selected by Renaud Fillioux de Gironde, Hennessy’s eighth-generation master blender, the Year of the Horse Cognac features notes of roasted almonds and fresh citrus, and the decanter itself is crafted by Baccarat, and engraved and painted by hand before two knots are tied around the neck: a saddle knot symbolizing success in China, and a horseshoe knot, a European symbol of good luck. If that all sounds great to you, it’ll set you back a pretty penny, to the tune of $40,000.
