Although the U.S. market for bottled water has climbed steadily over the past 30 years, from 3.43 billion gallons in 1997 to 8.82 billion gallons in 2007, up to 40 percent of the nation’s bottled water is merely purified tap water. That’s what distinguishes premium bottled waters. Standard bottled water is public water that, one hopes, gets an extra boost of filtration, distillation and/or ozonation. It’s packaged and then marketed as a healthier, handier way to stay hydrated.
Premium water, on the other hand, comes from virgin sources—and from companies that maintain the pristine nature of those sources.
In 2004, an uproar resulted when Londoners discovered that Coca-Cola sourced its U.K. version of Dasani from the public water supply. One newspaper declared, “Eau dear.” With its metaphorical tail between its legs, Coca-Cola withdrew its bottled water from the British market. Europeans might use purified tap water for ironing, but they won’t drink it.
Where, then, to find the best bottled water?
“That would be akin to asking where the best wine is coming from,” says Mascha. After all, some wine connoisseurs swear by Bordeaux, others by Barolo. “That’s the beauty of what I am talking about… We can have many different waters with many different flavors with many different aspects, and we should really enjoy the differences and the variety and not look for just the best water.” Mascha’s recommends comparing water terroir at Colette, a water bar in Paris, where customers can select from more than 100 labels.
Of course, water differs from wine in some regards. For one thing, even a connoisseur such as Mascha can’t discern a water’s source in a blind tasting. “The flavor in water is very subtle,” he says. And, it doesn’t improve with age. “The only difference between rainwater and iceberg water is 18,000 years… I think where the age of the water makes a difference is not so much in the flavors or taste, but in indicating the source of the water.”
See our slideshow of Most Expensive Bottled Water
For example, 10 Thousand BC bottled water comes from 10,000-year-old ice. Because there were few, if any, pollutants 10,000 years ago, this British Columbian luxury quaff is “very, very virgin.”
When a new luxury product is born, can Hollywood be far behind? Already 10 Thousand BC has at least five feature-film product placements lined up. Also available: designer bottles with charms, pendants and necklaces made with cubic zirconia and diamonds “for some of the very special events we have been invited to as gifts for royalty, celebrities, movies and international business clients,” says Andrea Bates, vice president of Source Glacier Beverage Co. The cost of those bottles will range from $250 to $550, with proceeds going toward charities that the company supports.
An invitation-only Premium Water Summit is set for May 5 and 6 in Barcelona, Spain, home of co-organizer Wawali Way of Life. The invitees include not only bottlers and distributors, but also chefs and sommeliers from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, Europe, the United States, Chile and Argentina. Organizers are proposing the creation of a Premium Water Society to promote ethical and quality standards. That might advance the sophistication of consumers. In his book, Mascha offers guidelines for water and food pairings, drinking temperature and even decanting.
Some bottlers aren’t waiting for people to make the wine-water connection. Lauquen Artesian Mineral Water from Patagonia, Argentina, is labeled “Reserve.” And, taking a cue from the wine industry, Equa from Brazil is working on a series of bottles sporting art reproductions. The twist: A bottle of standard Equa will be placed conspicuously within the famous work represented on the label. At $15 or more, the water will cost consumers about the price of a decent bottle of wine. Meanwhile, Iskilde from Denmark and Bling H20 from Tennessee offer cork-sealed bottles.
Madonna’s accountant should be glad his client doesn’t have a Bling habit. While the water does come from a virginal spring, the bottle is “blinged” with Swarovski crystals, jacking the price to a whopping $441 per case. Suddenly, that $60-per-case Kabbalah water sounds like a bargain.
We’ve ranked 10 of the world’s premium waters in approximate order of most to least expensive. A few caveats: Not only do these bottled waters come in different sizes, but “cases” are different as well. Some are six bottles, others are 12; one is sold in 24-bottle sets. We provide the bottler’s per-case price, as well as a cost per 750 milliliters (regardless of the bottle’s actual volume). Perhaps, eventually, these boutique bottlers will take yet another cue from vintners—and standardize their serving sizes.
