A new whisky to honour King Charles III’s milestone birthday
From provenance to bottling and labelling, this exclusive single malt will delight connoisseurs
Britain’s King Charles III turned 75 today. To celebrate this milestone birthday, a special limited edition celebratory whisky has been launched. The name of the bottle is Highgrove Single Malt Whisky with the subtitle Highgrove King’s Birthday Vatting.
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Decoding the name on the bottle will reveal the provenance, year of making and process of crafting this whisky. Highgrove Estate indicates the king’s private residence in Gloucestershire located in south-west England. The key ingredient in this drink is a barley variety, Plumage Archer malt, grown there. It is a heritage grain and was invented in 1906 in Britain’s oldest working malthouse, Warminster Maltings in Wiltshire. They use the traditional method of floor-malting to extract the finest flavours from the barley. It is a labour-intensive process involving germination of each grain at the right moisture conditions and adequate aeration to obtain starch and sugar that can be fermented to yield high quality alcohol.
Vatting is an archaic term to describe blended whisky. The process involves ageing the liquid in ex-Port casks, and then blending with libations from three different casks.
The makers of the whisky are the reputable Cotswold Distillery who collaborated with Highgrove Estate for the limited edition release. It is the first product launched by these two partners. There are only 1500 bottle available to buy.
The celebratory spirit (as per the taste profile described on highgrovegardens.com) has star anise and blackcurrant on the nose, custard, nutmeg and red fruits on the palate, and an elegant finish of lingering spices and dark chocolate.
The packaging captures the spirit of celebration with a royal blue commemorative label that stands apart with a crown designed in gold.
The price of one bottle is £175 which converts to approximately ₹ 17,881.50. All profits will be donated to charity. To buy, visit the website highgrovegardens.com. International shipping available.
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First Published:14 Nov 2023, 03:30 PM IST
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