Royal Salute Launches World's Most Expensive Scotch Whisky

Served at a reception at HM's palace, The Diamond Tribute by Royal Salute was introduced in cohesion with Queen Elizabeth II’s 62 round royal gun salute at her 60th coronation ceremony.

The launch this past weekend in London of Royal Salute's Tribute to Honour, considered to be the most expensive, luxurious Scotch whisky ever made. At a retail price of $200,000 per bottle, and with only 21 bottles made, the limited edition Scotch whisky pays special tribute to the Honours of Scotland, which are the Scottish Crown Jewels and the oldest crown jewels of the British Isles. "This has been almost three years in the making," says Neil Macdonald, Royal Salute's Global Brand Director. "It is not like a commercial extension as such - it is a labor of love. This is the richest, rarest whisky and we needed a worthy way of presenting it."

To create the bottle for the luxury Scotch whisky, Royal Salute turned to Stephen Webster, world-renowned jewelry designer and Creative Director of Garrard, the oldest royal jeweler, which was founded 275 years ago. Once a design was settled upon, each bottle was painstakingly decorated with more than 22 carats of flawless black and white diamonds (413 diamonds in total).

The diamonds were handset individually in gold and silver - with a design that depicts the three symbols of Scottish power - the Sceptre, the Sword and the Crown. The manufacturing process of the opulent black porcelain vessels was a complicated one as aeronautical engineers were consulted so that it would be possible to adorn each one with jewels. French porcelain maker Revol needed to produce 400 bottles to find 21 perfect examples, according to Macdonald. 

The launch of Royal Salute's Tribute to Honour brand began with a cocktail party on the terrace of the Ritz Hotel in London, followed by a sumptuous luncheon. During the cocktail hour, the Traditional Royal Air Force fly-past could be seen (and heard) during the Trooping the Colour parade going on at nearby Buckingham Palace. After lunch, the first Royal Salute Tribute to Honor bottle was unveiled for the press at Garrard in the very room where Queen Mary was fitted with her royal coronation crown in 1911. 

xoxo LLD