Royal Salute

Royal Salute is a brand of Scotch whisky produced by Chivas Brothers (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. It 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.

Brand expressions

Royal Salute 21 Year Old: Blended from whiskies matured for at least 21 years. This expression is bottled in porcelain flagons, produced by Wade porcelain, incorporating the image of Robert the Bruce and bearing a Gaelic motto which translates as "fidelity, stability since 1801"

Royal Salute 100 Cask: Blended in small batches of 100 casks, using aged whiskies.

Royal Salute 38 Year Old Stone of Destiny: Blended from whiskies aged for at least 38 years.

Royal Salute 50 Year Old: Blended from whiskies aged for at least 50 years. Limited edition released in 2002 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, priced at $30,000.

Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute: Blended from whiskies selected by each of the four Master Blenders since the brand's creation in 1953, and passed down to the current day. Aged for at least 40 years. Priced at around $2,800.

Tribute to Honour: Blended from whiskies especially selected by Colin Scott[clarification needed], each aged for at least 45 years. Bottled in a diamond encrusted bottle and priced at around $200,000.

History

Royal Salute 21 Year Old whisky was launched in 1953, commemorating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It was followed by the 50 Year Old (2002), marking Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee, the 100 Cast Selection (2004), the 38 Year Old "Stone of Destiny" (2005), and the "62 Gun Salute" (2010). In 2011 the "Tribute to Honour", a series of 21 bottles decorated by jewellers Garrard was launched. Most recently produced, in 2012, was the "Diamond Jubilee", another 21 Year Old blend, which commemorated the 60th Anniversary of Elizabeth II's coronation.