I bought my first jug at my first distillery visit back in 2014. It was a small Glendronach that I found in the distillery shop. Bought as a souvenir, and because I thought it was kind of cute. And I never imagined that it would grow into what it has become.
One year later I found another small jug in Bunnahabhain's visitor shop, and the idea of collecting these small and not too space demanding souvenirs crept into my collector mind. However with that thought in the back of my mind I was a little disappointed to not find any in the shops of the other 10 distilleries I visited that week. Some time later I then found a full size jug in a thrift store and shortly after was gifted another from a friend. It was about this time I realised how vast the world of advertising jugs really are.
I collect them because they are nice looking objects. My shelf space is constantly being expanded, yet it never seems to be enough space to do them justice in the way they are displayed. Occasionally I even use some of them. They naturally fall in under my general passion for whisky, and in that way also inspire me to research and learn more about whisky history.
Collection philosophy
As the knowledge of what is out there dawned on me I had a brief moment considering how to restrict my collection. Just as I at the age of seven realised it was an impossible task to collect stamps in general. No one says you can't, but it gets both more interesting and easier when the collection is within limits. Some jug collectors limits their collecting to just one or a couple of favorite brands, or maybe just single malt scotch. For me, at the moment, the only restriction is that it got to be whisky... with or without the "e". So that includes Irish as well as bourbon. And I have to add that I think a proper jug have to be ceramic. Glass, metal and not to mention plastic doesn't look nor feel the same. I don't reject a pour of any obscure whisky, and I can't say no to include a jug of the same. Actually, the more obscure the more interesting it is.
So how is this limiting? Well, there are jugs for almost any kind of beverage, and within beer/ale there are a huge amount of really beautiful vintage jugs. But the line have to be drawn somewhere...
expanding the collection
Adding to any collection usually comes at a cost. How much to spend is up to you, and the sources for new items to add are plentiful. Search through second hand and charity shops. Prices in these shops are usually reasonable as the focus are on shifting inventory. You may be lucky to find something in antique stores, but then we are probably talking very old and rare with prices accordingly. Local on-line markets are a good source with prices depending on the sellers knowledge and expectation. Then there is the world of eBay. Take your time, do your research, and last but not least check out shipping costs. European sellers usually have reasonable "buy it now" prices, or low starting bids, which means you just have to be at the right place at the right time. And for US sellers I have found there are two categories, one that sells anything dirt cheap and the other asking fantasy prices. Or the best way, although the selection may be random, get some collection friends to trade/swap with. The best advice I can give is to not get caught up in a battle for a spesific item. The best way to expand is to buy what you like but only if the price is right.
quality - rarity - price
Quality is always an issue, and of course it is desirable to have the best. I don't know if it is fortunate, but even for jugs dating back to before the -70's a majority of these advertising jugs have never been used as initially intended; as water pitchers in public places. This means that jugs from this period should be in quite pristine condition to command the average price. Here the price is more driven by rarity. Not many jugs are issued with production numbers so the only way to judge this is usually just to check availability in the market over time. Getting back to the -60' and earlier it is more common to see normal wear, fading to graphics, crazed glaze and small chips. How much and what type of wear to accept and how much it affects the price is again depending on rarity, and lastly what you are willing to accept. I avoid buying damaged jugs that are commonly available, but do pick up one if it is rare and I find the price to reflect the damage. Then there is transport damage. It is not only disappointing to receive but it makes me a little sad whenever something arrives broken. So far I have at least been lucky enough to get fair refunds when these accidents happen. Unless we are talking real antiques it is not worth the cost to have items like this professionally repaired. However if it is not completely crushed it is often possible to patch them together yourself, of course depending on your skills, to make them acceptable for display until a better specimen is obtained. In my quality rating I quote "Premium" price for mint jugs. Premium doesn't necessary mean expensive. Common jugs post 1950 can usually be found in the range of €/£ 5-15. Older or rarer can go into hundreds. Again, there is plenty out there so do your research, don't trust that the seller has done that.
I have quoted prices from the two Australian books; Westcott's price guide v1 and v2, for jugs that are included in these.
These prices looks rather high to me, especially considering they are dating back to 1999. Westcott was a professional dealer and the prices most likely reflect that. They are also from a time when internet trading still was in its infancy.
Most jugs with these price quotes can today be found on eBay or local markets for less than half or even down to 1/4 of this price.
My quality rating
5/5
5 Stars - Mint - Excellent
No chips or cracks
Crisp graphics
No or minimal crazing
Premium
4/5
4 Stars - Very Good
No chips or cracks
Light wear to graphics, age dependant
Normal crazing depending on age
High
3/5
3 Stars - Good
For older jugs hairline cracks and minor chip acceptable, otherwise structurally sound.
Light wear to graphics, age dependant
Normal crazing depending on age
Discount
2/5
2 Stars - OK for display
Repaired cracks or chips.
Displays good on a shelf
Very low
1/5
1 Star - Poor
Visible damage on display.
Only as reference until replaced, then most likely discarded.
