Fabergé egg linked to rare Irish whiskey set worth more than £2m stolen

A luxury Fabergé egg tied to a rare Irish whiskey collection has been stolen during a handbag theft in Soho. The item, associated with The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., remains missing following the suspect’s guilty plea in court.

A rare Fabergé egg connected to an ultra-premium Irish whiskey collection has become the focus of a theft case in London after a man admitted stealing a handbag believed to contain items worth more than £2 million.

According to the BBC, Enzo Conticello, 29, of no fixed address, admitted stealing the handbag from a victim in Soho in central London on 7 November 2024. The case was heard at Southwark Crown Court.

The bag contained a Fabergé egg, a watch, a laptop and credit cards. The defendant later used the cards to purchase cigarettes and other goods at supermarkets in the Soho area.

Conticello pleaded guilty to theft and three charges of fraud by misrepresentation. He was remanded into custody and is due to appear again at Southwark Crown Court on 6 March.

Addressing the defendant in court, Judge Martin Griffiths said: “I expect it was probably quite a surprise to you when you discovered that egg.

“What you did with it, I don’t quite know, but I expect we’re going to find out.”

The court heard that the Fabergé egg had not been located.

Link to a luxury Irish whiskey release

Further details reported by The Telegraph indicate that the stolen egg forms part of a high value drinks related collectible. The victim was carrying the bag containing the Fabergé egg and watch belonging to The Craft Irish Whiskey Company, where she works as director of premium brands.

The object is associated with The Emerald Isle Collection, a luxury release created by The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. in partnership with Fabergé.

As previously reported by the drinks business in March 2021, the collection combines rare Irish whiskey with bespoke jewellery and luxury accessories.

Each case contains two bottles of 30-year-old Irish whiskey alongside a Fabergé Celtic egg and a bespoke timepiece. The set also includes a humidor with two Cohiba Siglo VI Grand Reserve cigars, a gold-plated cigar cutter, a gold-plated water pipette, obsidian whiskey stones, a hip flask holding a sample of Emerald Isle whiskey and a carafe filled with Irish spring water sourced from the same region where the whiskey was produced.

Whiskey matured and finished in select casks

The whiskey itself is a 30-year-old triple-distilled single malt. The spirit was aged in 200 litre first-fill American oak casks that had previously held Bourbon before being finished in a 40 litre Pedro Ximénez Sherry barrel.

The Emerald Isle Collection was conceived as a limited series of seven cases.

A press release at the time reported that the first case was secured by Fabergé collectors James and Korrine Whipkey, together with a second group of investors.

Charity link to the first sale

As reported previously by the drinks business, proceeds from the first release were directed to the Correa Family Foundation, a charity created to provide “transformative experiences and financial support to children battling cancer and their families”.

Jay Bradley, founder of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., said at the time: “Collaborating with Fabergé has been a tremendous experience and together we have created an extraordinary bespoke set that truly celebrates Ireland, its craftsmanship and unique heritage”.

Carlos Correa, MLB star and the founder of the Correa Family Foundation, added: “I’m very thankful to The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. and Jay Bradley for being generous enough to donate the first release of The Emerald Isle to our foundation. This is a huge contribution to the Correa Family Foundation and will change thousands of lives”.

Missing item remains untraced

Fabergé, founded in Russia in 1842 and widely recognised for its ornate eggs made from gems and precious metals, is regarded as one of the world’s most prominent jewellery houses.

Despite the guilty plea in court, the Fabergé egg linked to the whiskey collection has not been recovered, as per the BBC report. Authorities expect further details to emerge when the case returns to court.

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