Abstract: An apparatus and method for collecting and retrieving liquid samples is disclosed. The sampling apparatus or bailer can reliably collect and retrieve liquid samples from a reservoir such as a liquid filled borehole. The sampling apparatus is mechanically simple, reliable, inexpensive to manufacture, and can optionally be discarded after one sampling operation thereby eliminating the time consuming and expensive step of cleaning the bailer prior to the next sampling operation. Furthermore, weighting is employed to assist in lowering the bailer into the reservoir of liquid to be sampled, wherein the weighting material is isolated from the interior sample chamber of the bailer in order to avoid contamination of the sample by the weighting material. The bailer can be easily emptied of sample liquid thereby minimizing operational costs associated with sampling activities.