Mit dem Royal Salute 52yo hat die seit 1953 bestehende Marke vor einigen Wochen eine neue Serie gestartet, die besonders lang gereifte Whiskys in den Mittelpunkt stellt: Die Time Series von Royal Salute.
Der jüngste Whisky, der im Royal Salute 52yo zu finden ist, stammt aus dem Jahr 1967 – und die Komposition von Master Blender Sandy Hyslop hat auch noch eine besonders lange Zeit zur Nachreifung in einem nicht näher spezifizierten Eichenfass verbracht – 14 Jahre.
Für jede der 106 Flaschen (35 davon sind im Travel Retail zu finden, 71 in ausgewählten Outlets rund um den Globus) muss man sich als Käufer von ca. 30.000 Euro trennen – bekommt dafür aber nicht nur einen sehr alten Blend, sonder auch einen handgeblasenen Darlington Kristalldekanter, eine individuelle Gravur der Flaschennummer und eine aufwendige Holzbox mit fünf Lagen Holz.
Hier noch die englischsprachige Pressemitteilung, die auch die Tasting Notes enthält:
Royal Salute releases first edition of its exceptional Time Series – a 52 Year Old Single Cask Finish
Limited to just 106 bottles globally, this treasured blend combines Royal Salute’s finest, most distinctive and unique time-honored Scotch whiskies, and is now available in travel retail and beyond.
For the inaugural and unprecedented edition of the Time Series collection, Royal Salute is releasing its 52 Year Old Single Cask Finish, an extraordinary blend that displays the finest art of craft. Priced at $30,000 USD and with an ultra-limited release of just 106 bottles worldwide, this truly remarkable blend embodies the value of patience across the years to achieve exceptional results. Out of the 52 years this unique blend has been aged, the last 14 years were spent finishing the liquid in a single oak cask until it reached its finest, most precise and harmonious state, presenting whisky connoisseurs with an exquisite and unrivalled whisky to collect whilst on their travels.
Time is at the very heart of Royal Salute: time to patiently tend casks whilst the precious liquid matures and develops inside, the lifetime’s worth of knowledge inherited by Master Blender Sandy Hyslop and the longevity and dedication that makes Queen Elizabeth II, who is celebrated by all of Royal Salute’s whiskies, Britain’s longest-serving monarch. Royal Salute pays homage to the importance of time with the Time Series, a range of uniquely aged and treasured whiskies that each pay tribute to remarkable ages.
With Royal Salute 52 Year Old Single Cask Finish, Hyslop has drawn upon his years of experience and expertise to hand select this special blend that boasts remarkable character and exceptional qualities. Intense, fruity aromas of ripe plums, toffee apples and dark chocolate-covered hazelnuts swirl with the sensation of sweet aromatic oak. Tasting notes are bright with sweet orange marmalade and hints of ginger and cloves, while soft ripe pears in syrup mingle with a touch of liquorice. The 14-year cask finish brings an amazingly creamy and sweet texture to the blend, enhanced with notes of toffee and vanilla and long, incredibly well-balanced sweet finish.
Royal Salute 52 Year Old Single Cask Finish is housed in a prestigious hand-blown Dartington crystal decanter. Rich, dark blue in colour, the delicate crystal is magnified and enhanced by elegant gold engravings and stopper. Each bottle is individually engraved with a unique number and is presented in a Time Series box that takes inspiration from the Royal Wedding Edition box, finished with five different layers of wood, each representing a different decade in the life of the blend. A striking 24-line sundial motif is revealed on opening the box that further manifests the importance of time.
Master Blender Sandy Hyslop comments,
“At Royal Salute we have unparalleled expertise in blending such extremely rare high-aged whiskies. Time is precious and fundamental in the creation of blends such as these and we are thrilled to be marking the launch of our Time Series collection with this stunning liquid. Every whisky in this blend, the youngest of which dates back to 1967, is influenced and enhanced by the delicate combination of flavours that only maturation in an exceptional quality cask can deliver, and the incredible result speaks for itself. Royal Salute 52 Year Old Single Cask Finish is an unparalleled blend for collectors and enthusiasts alike to seek out on their travels.”
Royal Salute was originally crafted as a gift for Queen Elizabeth II on her Coronation Day in 1953 and has since remained a representation of the longevity and dedication by the Queen as Britain’s longest-serving monarch. Royal Salute is the official partner of all ceremonial royal gun salutes fired at the Tower of London, home of the Royal Regalia, or Crown Jewels.
Royal Salute 52 Year Old Time Series Collection is limited to just 35 bottles in Global Travel Retail and 71 bottles in select domestic markets worldwide from the end of December 2019 for $30,000 USD (70cl).
