The Royal Salute Range Sampled
Last Monday saw me attend another Tweet Tasting, which was once again ably hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire, and one which gave me the opportunity to sample one of the worlds premium whisky blends.
I’m talking, of course, about Royal Salute and I have to say, I feel very lucky to have been involved, these kind of tastings are rare indeed!
Royal Salute is produced by Chivas Brothers (and owned by Pernod Ricard). Founded in 1801 in Aberdeen, Scotland. The Royal Salute brand’s home is Strathisla Distillery at Keith, Moray in Speyside, Scotland. The full-bodied Strathisla is at the heart of every Royal Salute expression.
The range was launched on 2 June 1953 by Chivas Brothers in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her coronation. Named after the traditional 21-gun salute, Royal Salute whisky is aged for a minimum of 21 years.
On the night we were lucky enough to have Master Blender Colin Scott tweet along with us, sharing his insights and knowledge of this amazing blend.
The whiskies sampled were:-
- Royal Salute 21 Year Old
- Royal Salute Diamond Tribute
- Royal Salute 38 Year Old Stone of Destiny
- Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute
If you want to catch up on what all the tasters had to say, you can view the tweets by searching for the hash tag #RoyalSaluteTT on Twitter.
So, what did I think?
Here are my tasting notes … and the one which was my favourite on the night!
Tasting Notes – Royal Salute 21 Year Old ( 40% )
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Nose: Sweet fruits, pears, apples and fresh oak. Lovely apple aromas! Toffee, caramel and vanilla. Palate: Intensely sweet mixed with grapefruit. There’s a little bit of toffee in there as well as pineapple and pears. Finish: Short, dry, spicy finish with hints of tobacco. Overall: Undeniably smooth blend with some excellent fruit flavours. Quality abounds in this dram. |
Tasting Notes – Royal Salute Diamond Tribute ( 40% )
Bottled in honour of Queen Elizabeth II 60th. Anniversary of her coronation.
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Nose: Creamy and buttery. There’s a slight hint of fresh wood again as well as vanilla & caramel mixed with soft fruits. Palate: Sweet cake mixture, raisins, vanilla – almost a little rum like in it’s flavour! Finish: Smooth, short, dry finish. A little spice with the fruit makes it very enjoyable indeed. Overall: I think this is softer than the original 21 year old. Morish? I’d say! |
Tasting Notes – Royal Salute 38 Year Old Stone of Destiny ( 40% )
Crafted from whiskies aged for no less than 38 years, this unique blend shares its name with the Stone of Destiny, the Coronation stone of the ancient Scottish Kings.
For every bottle of the 38 Year Old Stone of Destiny that goes on sale, the ‘angels’ have already had four!
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Nose: Stewed spicy fruits – earthy deep flavours of aged malts. Mint, chocolate, spice and all things nice! Palate: Rich, plump, sweet Christmas cake with a hint of mint chocolate. Finish: Gloriously spicy with rich sherry – tongue lingering! Overall: This is a fine dram. You can taste the rich pedigree of whiskies that have gone into this blend. The balance of flavours is stunning! |
Tasting Notes – Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute ( 43% )
Named after the firing of 62 cannons, an exclusive privilege of the Tower of London, and reserved only for the most special Royal anniversaries.
The whiskies contained within this blend are aged for at least 40 years.
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Nose: This smells divine! Toffee and vanilla in old antique wood casks. Coffee, dark chocolate (the good stuff) abound. Even the colour looks classy! Palate: Pear, pineapple and apple create a sweet fusion of flavours. Fresh sevile oranges and rich, deep sherryness topped off with a little bit of smoke complete this taste celebration. Finish: Super smooth finish with a hint of spicy mint and orange. Overall: This dram is truly an experience, deserving due respect and patience to savour it properly. You can literally taste the fine history of the drams that go into it’s creation. Outstanding! |
My Favourite On The Night
The Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute – A once-in-a-lifetime experience that may leave your wallet a bit dented but your taste buds will love you for it!
Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire) for a great dram evening and the team at Richmond Towers (@DrinksPRAgency) for sending the samples!
And of course, Royal Salute, without whom!
My fellow Tweeters were:-
@champdenwhite @Whisky_Magazine @EdinburghWhisky @TheWhiskyBoys @DrinksEnthusist @WhiskyDiscovery @Girl_Whisky @WhiskyCorner @MCRWhiskyClub @Whisky_Belfast
Royal Salute is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-
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