The unexciting real answer...
Canadian here! They are just a throwback to when bottles of maple syrup were larger and made of earthenware pottery. It’s really just nostalgic. Plus if you heat your maple syrup in the bottle, you can use a kebab stick or whatever to haul it out of the hot water by the handle.
Otherwise known as a ‘skeuomorph’.
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A skeuomorph is a derivative object that retains ornamental design cues (attributes) from structures that were necessary in the original.
I love that scientists still don’t know why certain tree juices taste so good.
Scientist 1: “Look what I got…” He hands the bottle to Scientist 2. “Check this out.”
Scientist 2: “Oh, man. This is the total primo shit.”
Scientist 1: “Should we investigate why this particular tree juice tastes so good?”
Scientist 2: “Yeah, I guess so. But after we have pancakes, right?”
Scientist 1: “Hell yeah.”
