Magento Commerce

Wine and Spirit drinking have a very long history, and so has the making of special containers to house them.

The meaning of the word Tantalus is to tantalise. In Greek Mythology , after Tantalus offended the Gods, he was condemned to an eternity of hunger and thirst in the afterlife. He was imprisoned in a pool of water surrounded by fruit trees but each time he reached out to drink the water or eat the fruit, the water drained away and the branches of the trees moved out of his reach!

Tantalus is a decorative stand, case or box for glass or cut glass decanters. The first lockable Tantalus appeared around the mid 19th Century and was first seen in England around 1870. The decanted alcohol can only be accessed by unlocking and raising or lowering a handle or bar. The Tantalus was first used by the owners of large, grand houses of this period to protect the decanted alcohol from being drunk by their butlers & other staff. Therefore the alcohol was kept just out of reach - just as in the story of Tantalus!

Our varied selection of Tantalus & Decanters make excellent corporate gifts, aswell as for special occasions such as a retirement or wedding. They also make a great focal and talking point at a Dinner Party, or simply to look handsome in a Dining or Drawing Room!