Although glass was the only water bottling option when humans first started to bottle water, it lost its status due to the invention of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in 1971. Yet, the best-bottled water brands still opt for glass bottling because it’s the safest and most eco-friendly way to bottle water.
Water bottled and stored in glass containers doesn’t lose its quality as long as it’s kept in a cool place away from sunlight. What’s better, glass helps preserve the distinct taste of spring and mineral water.
Additionally, if you care about aesthetics, let us tell you that glass bottles look way cooler than the alternatives, like PET or cardboard boxes.
When preparing this guide, we considered both water quality and glass designs. We think the seven brands we’ll list are the absolute best in both categories.
1. Mountain Valley
Mountain Valley has a spotless reputation in the United States because it’s easily the best spring water brand on domestic soil. Mountain Valley owes its success to its water’s rich mineral makeup, balanced pH value, 100% sodium-free character, and the company’s will to stick to glass bottling regardless of cheaper alternatives.
The water comes from the Ouachita Mountains, located within the borders of Arkansas. It journeys through granite-based aquifers for years before surfacing in a valley. These aquifers endow it with 220 mg/L of total dissolved solids while absorbing potential impurities.
Depending on the time of collection, the water’s pH value tends to fluctuate, but the change is not dramatic. With a range of 7.3 to 7.7, it’s neither acidic nor alkaline, entertaining perfect neutrality.
The Mountain Valley Spring Water is known for its slightly bitter and crisp taste due to its high calcium and magnesium presence. Glass bottling preserves the water’s distinct flavor.
2. Antipodes
When it comes to stylish bottling, Antipodes is among the best. The brand’s bottles are cutely plump and completely transparent, and the fonts used on the bottle designs are classy.
The brand originates from New Zealand, and similar to Mountain Valley, they distribute high-quality spring water across the globe.
The water makes a voyage of 50 to 300 years through ignimbrite rocks. These cooled volcanic geological formations are poor in bitter-tasting minerals (calcium, potassium, or magnesium), but they’re rich in silica, a mineral known for giving the water a smooth texture and slightly sweet taste. Thanks to its 76 mg/L of silica content, Antipodes is one of the best-tasting water brands on the planet.
The brand uses only glass bottles for distribution to best preserve the water’s unique taste. In addition, Antipodes is eco-conscious, with its emphasis on sustainable production and the carbon-zero certification acquired in 2007.
Like Mountain Valley, Antipodes have a neutral pH value of 7.
3. Acqua Panna
The first water bottling took place in 1622 in the United Kingdom. Yet, the Acqua Panna springs were discovered in Tuscany, Italy, even earlier than that, in 1564, and the locals have been drinking it ever since, whether in glass or not.
Nowadays, the brand’s glass water bottles adorn high-end restaurant tables and are a favorite among gourmets. And with good reason, as the water has a velvety quality, and its source has remained well-protected from humans, animals, and industrial activities since its discovery.
The water’s exquisite taste is primarily due to its balanced mineral blend and high bicarbonate presence. While most minerals range between 6 mg/L and 35 mg/L, the water has 106 mg/L of bicarbonates, giving it a sparkling quality.
Additionally, when the water surfaces on the Tuscanian hills, it has a naturally alkaline pH of 8.8. Since alkaline water is an excellent antioxidant, it balances the pH of our blood, and helps fight acid reflux, Acqua Panna is a healthy option.
On a final note, the brand has lately started employing more affordable PET bottles. However, its primary bottling choice is still glass.
4. Perrier
The famed mineral water brand Perrier entered the US market in 1977 with a marketing campaign targeting the lifestyles of young urban professionals. The yuppies were known for wanting to stand out with their consumer choices, and Perrier’s iconic green glass bottles were just the product they were looking for.
Of course, the savvy marketing and signature glass bottles weren’t the only reason why the brand became so successful. Perrier water comes from France’s Vergeze territory, where the underground rock formations naturally filter it and provide it with an abundance of minerals, so the end product is of really high quality.
Perrier has 475 mg/L of total dissolved solids, and the mineral with the highest presence is calcium, with 147 mg/L.
The water also has natural carbonation since the aquifers it passes through are rich in carbon dioxide. The brand collects its water and gas separately and then blends them before bottling to maintain the water’s carbon levels, sparkling quality, and distinct taste.
Lastly, Perrier is one of the most acidic bottled water brands, with a pH value of 5.5.
5. La Sasse
La Sasse of France is the only glass bottled water brand that distributes its water in 74cl bottles. Besides its water quality, the brand is famous for having a sculptor, Pierre Margara, design its unique frosted glass bottles.
The water comes from a bottling plant on the skirts of the Mont Blanc Massif. The brand only uses gravity to collect its water to ensure no industrial activity can damage the water quality.
The end product has 206 mg/L of total dissolved solids. It’s also rich in calcium and bicarbonates, but miraculously, these minerals don’t give the water a bitter taste. Instead, it has a slightly sweet taste.
Like Mountain Valley and Antipodes, this spring water brand entertains a neutral pH of 7.6.
6. Sembrancher
The Sembrancher Spring sits at one of the most beautiful places on the earth: the summit of the Valais Alps (Switzerland) at an altitude of 2,598 meters (8,523 feet). And the brand’s bottle design ultimately reflects the beauty of its water source, as attested by the design awards it has received.
Even though the brand was only founded in 2022 and the water source was discovered by hydrogeologists in 2002, the villagers nearby have been drinking its water since 1292.
Back then, they believed the water had healing properties. These properties may now be contested, but Sembrancher is, without a doubt, a healthy choice due to its rich mineral content.
The water spurts out of a huge granite pyramid. This pyramid provides essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium. The brand bottles water as it runs its course without interference or tools.
When the water is bottled, its total dissolved solids count is 201 mg/L, and its pH value is 7.56. However, it tastes sweeter than other mineral-rich spring water types on the market.
7. APSU
For our last pick, we travel to Chile, more specifically, to Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena. APSU, collected from a pristine source at the heart of Patagonia, is a result of years of research by local entrepreneurs and is available only in limited quantities due to respect for the source.
Since it’s available only in limited edition, the brand bottles its premium water in classy glass bottles reminiscent of expensive champagne. Of course, the water’s high quality and superior packaging reflect the product’s price. Still, you’ll be happy to know the brand uses its money on social and environmental projects in the area.
Besides the packaging and the brand’s philanthropy, APSU shines with its low total dissolved solids count (47 mg/L) and pure taste. The only standout mineral in its makeup is calcium at 10 mg/L, which is super low compared to the calcium levels of other water brands on our list.
The water also entertains a neutral pH value of 7.3.
Based on the news today on the da gets of plastic water bottles, are there any updates to your recommendations?
Hi Claudia, I don’t think so. We don’t view the study and the findings anything really new. We are still reaching out for more details, but it seems like it was more of news cycle flash than anything substantively new.