The archive · Design & Visual · Product decision · 2025–2026
Godawan 173: one whisky bottle for each of the 173 Great Indian Bustards alive
Diageo India's Godawan 173 turns the Great Indian Bustard's recovery into 173 unique Jaipur Blue Pottery bottles — each one a bird worth saving.
Diageo India
What it had to solve
Godawan, Diageo India's single malt, is named after the Great Indian Bustard, the state bird of Rajasthan and one of the world's most critically endangered species. In 2022 the brand released Godawan 100 when only about 100 birds remained; by 2025 habitat work had lifted the population to 173, and the brand needed a launch that marked the milestone and funded the next stage of conservation.
How it works
Godawan, Diageo India's single malt, takes its name from the Great Indian Bustard, the critically endangered bird of Rajasthan. In 2022, when roughly 100 birds remained, the brand released Godawan 100; by 2025, grassland restoration, protected enclosures and hatcheries had lifted the population to 173 — a milestone the brand chose to celebrate bottle by bottle.
Godawan 173: The Collector's Edition is limited to exactly 173 bottles, each priced at INR 5,00,000 and handcrafted in Jaipur Blue Pottery tradition from quartz, salts and natural glaze under master craftsperson Leela Bordia. No two vessels are alike, and each symbolises one surviving bustard. Inside is a nine-year-old single malt finished in Asha liqueur sal-wood casks seasoned with 42 ingredients — a cask influence no other whisky had used.
The launch staged conservation as luxury: the first bottle was unveiled at The Savoy during London Fashion Week 2025, with actor Sonam Kapoor's US$50,000 donation matched by Diageo India for bustard conservation. At Spikes Asia 2026 the edition won Gold and Silver, and Diageo counts more than 100 accolades for Godawan — recognition that a bottle can carry a species' recovery as its story.
Why it lands
- Tying the bottle count to the bird count made the product's scarcity meaningful rather than artificial.
- Handmade Jaipur Blue Pottery gave every bottle an artisan story, so craft and conservation reinforced each other.
- The high price worked as an engine for conservation, turning collectors into funders.
- Launching at London Fashion Week put an Indian craft-and-conservation story on a global luxury stage.
What it did
The collector's story became the campaign: every bottle sold carried one bird's survival, and the edition took Gold in Illustration: Packaging Design and Silver in Special Editions & Bespoke Items at Spikes Asia 2026. Diageo India says Godawan has collected more than 100 national and international accolades across taste, innovation, creativity and craftsmanship since the brand's launch.
What you can take
Turn the scarcity of an endangered species into the product's logic: when every bottle equals one surviving bird, luxury itself becomes an act of conservation and no two owners share the same story.
Since then
The edition went on sale at Bangalore Duty Free and select premium London outlets including The Whisky Exchange, carrying what Diageo calls 'the story of a whisky born of scarcity, a bird reborn against extinction'. The design work by 22Feet, Butterfly Cannon and Neerja International was recognised at Spikes Asia 2026, adding to Godawan's run of international awards and extending the brand's positioning of purpose-led Indian single malt.
Sources
- Godawan 173: The Collector's Edition – The World's First Artisanal Liqueur Cask Finished Indian Single Malt
- Godawan 173 Collector's Edition Wins Gold & Silver at Spikes Asia
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