British Distillery Whitley Neill Is Hiding Diamonds in Bottles of Its Popular Gin

In an effort to reignite the age-old tradition of handing down heirlooms, a British distillery will be hiding £25,000 (US$31,981) worth of diamonds in bottles of its popular gin.

The diamonds are not actually IN the bottles of Whitley Neill Distiller’s Cut London Dry Gin. Contestants will be looking for a cork displaying a special diamond engraving. A photo of a winning cork and serial number may be redeemed for a round-cut diamond weighing at least 4/10ths of a carat, with a color grade of D through G.

There will be 15 winning bottles, so each diamond prize will have a value of approximately $2,132.

Whitley Neill is celebrating eight generations of its own distilling heritage, but the company’s own research revealed that 43% UK adults don’t plan to pass down heirlooms to family or friends because they don’t own anything of true sentimental or monetary value.

In addition, 21% of survey respondents believe that items are more “disposable” now and that modern day, everyday items don’t have as much sentimental value (18%).

On a positive note, more than four in 10 (41%) said that they would love to be able to pass something down to future generations or friends.

Of the 36% of UK adults who currently possess something of sentimental or monetary value, jewelry was the most cited item, accounting for 61% of the UK’s heirlooms. (Other less-popular heirlooms mentioned were books and household items, including glassware, dinner service and cutlery.)

“As a family brand… we value the importance of heritage and legacy. With this in mind, we want to help the nation keep their own traditions alive and give them the opportunity to have something to pass down to others,” said Whitley Neill founder Johnny Neill.

“Jewelry is the item that most people would like to pass on to loved ones,” he continued, “and great quality gin and diamonds are both renowned for their quality and cut, so when thinking of how we could do this, diamonds seemed like a fitting choice.”

Whitley Neill is also offering complimentary jewelry services so each winner will incur no extra expense having the diamond set into a piece of jewelry.

Finding a cork with a diamond engraving plus the letters “EX” signifies a second-tier winner. Twenty people with this designation will win a “Diamond Experience” for two, which includes a tour of the City of London Distillery, followed by a diamond-inspired cocktail, and a gift of a pair of Whitley Neill branded glasses.

The contest is limited to UK residents aged 18 and over, and runs through August 31, 2023. Whitley Neill’s survey of 2,000 UK adults was conducted via OnePoll.

Credit: Images courtesy of Whitley Neill.