Trikene Distillery has released a collector’s edition of its signature Ouzo to mark 200 years since the Exodus of Messolonghi, with a commemorative bottle designed by Greek designer Laios Papazoglou. Created for 2026, the limited edition also celebrates 125 years since the founding of the family-run distillery and 75 years since its spirits received First Prize at the Thessaloniki International Fair. Limited to 2,026 bottles, the project combines craftsmanship, local history and graphic design into a keepsake that pays tribute to Messolonghi. The bottle features the dates 1826 and 2026 in gold, bringing together symbols from the distillery’s history with the Angel, the emblem of the Holy City of Messolonghi. It also incorporates the final verse of Glory to Messolonghi, written by Kostis Palamas in 1926 for the centenary of the Exodus, adding another historical layer to the design.
Each bottle is individually numbered by hand and sealed with red wax by the Trikene family, making every piece unique. The gesture references the sacrifice of the people of Messolonghi while highlighting the handcrafted nature of the edition. Alongside the bottle, Papazoglou designed a series of three original engravings inspired by the work of Greek printmaker Vaso Katraki and Eugène Delacroix’s painting Greece on the Ruins of Missolonghi. The illustrations appear across the collector’s packaging, as well as on silkscreens, posters and postcards, creating a visual identity that extends beyond the bottle itself.
The collector’s edition was photographed at two locations closely connected to the city’s history: the islet of Kleisova, where one of the key battles of 1826 took place, and a restored 19th-century neoclassical building in the center of Messolonghi that will eventually house the Nikolaos Lyros Collection. The project turns the bottle into an object that carries the story of Messolonghi, celebrating memory, craftsmanship and the enduring idea of freedom through contemporary design.
