This due to the position of the centre of mass above the pivot.

Taking the object to be falling to the right, if its centre of mass is to the left
of its pivot then it will return
to upright as the weight force applies to the left.

If the centre of mass is directly above the pivot, then the object will remain in
an unstable equilibrium.

If the centre of mass is to the right of the pivot, the the object will fall to the
right.

The toppling angle increased as the water level decreased as the centre of mass got
closer to the bottom.
This meant that the bottle had to be angled further in order to move the centre of
mass right of the pivot.
Once the bottle is empty, the centre of mass returns to the centre of the bottle,
so will act the same as
if it was full.

A double decker bus is safe because its centre of mass is low to the ground due to
engines and passengers.
This means a large angle is required to move the centre of mass right of its pivot
(the wheels).