Luxury Scotch whisky maker Royal Salute recently unveiled an ultra exclusive, limited blend ahead of the coronation of King Charles III on May 6 in London.
And it’s especially fitting that the house would be releasing a new whisky for the monumental event given the brand’s roots. Named for the famous 21-gun-salute, Royal Salute was established in 1953, when then-Princess Elizabeth ascended the British throne as Queen Elizabeth II. In honor of the occasion, a blend was created using whisky from Strathisla, the oldest continuously operating distillery in the Scottish Highlands (founded in 1786), and later given the name Royal Salute. (Additionally, both Royal Salute and Strathisla are both now owned by Pernod Ricard[/hotlink, under the French liquor giant‘s Chivas Brothers business dedicated to Scotch whisky and gin.)
The Royal Salute “Coronation of King Charles III Edition” is housed in a Dartington crystal decanter, tinted in a deep sapphire blue hue, designed to reflect the precious stones set within the Imperial State Crown.
Each decanter will be individually numbered, making each as unique to its owner as the whisky inside. In keeping with Royal Salute’s signature style, the decanter is presented in a stunning wooden box with the architecture of the iconic Westminster Abbey intricately chiseled into the wood, paying tribute to the historic setting of the British Coronation ceremonies since 1066.
Crafted by Royal Salute’s master blender, Sandy Hyslop, the new whisky was fashioned to be treasured and savored.
“It is a real honor for me…as master blender to be able to create an authentic whisky to mark the occasion,” says Hyslop. “We were really excited in the blending room to make something very, very special.”
A blend of 53 rare and exceptional Scotch whiskies to reflect the year of Royal Salute’s inception, it offers notes of fresh red currants, dark chocolate praline, and chestnuts, with a palate of sweet figs and fresh ginger, leading up to a long and rich finish with a playful spice.
“That is an amazing spectrum of flavors brought together to make this whisky,” Hyslop says. “We wanted something that was rich and sweet and really fits in with the Royal Salute family of flavors.”
But then, Hyslop continues, the team decided to go a step further and brought in extra Spanish oak casks previously used for sherry, filling the whisky into those casks for two years for an extra dressing of flavor, increasing both the richness and spiciness.
The Royal Salute Coronation of King Charles III Edition is housed in a Dartington Crystal decanter, tinted in a deep sapphire blue hue, designed to reflect the precious stones set within the Imperial State Crown.
Each decanter will be individually numbered, making each as unique to its owner as the whisky inside. In keeping with Royal Salute’s signature style, the decanter is presented in a stunning wooden box with the architecture of the iconic Westminster Abbey intricately chiseled into the wood, paying tribute to the historic setting of the British Coronation ceremonies since 1066.
Only 53 bottles of the Royal Salute Coronation of King Charles III Edition will be shipped to the United States, just ahead of the Coronation this spring, priced at $25,000 per bottle.
“We are perfectly placed at Royal Salute with our amazing inventory of oak casks,” Hyslop says, adding the brand also took casks from its inventory in storehouses all over Scotland for this project. “Royal Salute created the very first signature 21-year-old blend, and we’re the only whisky in the whole world that has been continuously available at a minimum of 21 years since 1953.”