Queen Victoria's likeness is on what alcoholic beverage bottle?

Bombay Sapphire is a brand of gin that was first launched in 1986 by English wine-merchant IDV. In 1997 Diageo sold the brand to Bacardi. Its name originates from the popularity of gin in India during the British Raj and "Sapphire" refers to the violet-blue Star of Bombay which was mined from Sri Lanka and is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution. Bombay Sapphire is marketed in a flat-sided, sapphire-colored bottle that bears a picture of Queen Victoria on the label.

However, if we consider that Bombay Sapphire is a London dry gin, it might make sense why Queen Victoria appears on the bottle’s label. Though her presence suggests a long and illustrious history for the popular gin, in reality, it’s more of a marketing ploy. Queen Victoria ruled England from 1837 to 1901, but the gin only came onto the market in 1987. Bombay Sapphire did arrive with quite a splash, helping to usher in a new era of botanical gins and rebrand the liquor in a new and hip light. The company sold a million cases by 2000, and new varieties such as Bombay Sapphire East and Bombay Sapphire English Estate are continuously introduced — and Queen Victoria still reigns over every bottle.