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.
More from Fortune: 5 side hustles where you may earn over $20,000 per year—all while working from home Looking to make extra cash? This CD has a 5.15% APY right now Buying a house? Here's how much to save This is how much money you need to earn annually to comfortably buy a $600,000 home
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.