Royal Salute Scotch Whisky Unveils Its New Home at The Iconic Tower of London For Whisky-Loving Connoisseurs

Somewhere in the Highlands perhaps, as the sun sets on Scotland’s magnificent lochs and mountains. Or possibly on a private yacht anchored off a remote desert island. Or anywhere – but in the company of old friends and family.

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All of those would definitely appeal, but consider the unrivalled pleasure of enjoying your drams in a thirteenth century Royal tower once home to the Royal Menagerie, the British royal family’s private zoo, and which for close to 200 years was used to guard the British Crown Jewels. Welcome to the Martin Tower, part of the historic Tower of London complex, and now the home of the Royal Salute Chamber where a very few privileged guests will be able to savour a unique whisky experience.

As a proud decade-long supporter of the Historic Royal Palaces, the charity responsible for safeguarding the Tower of London, Royal Salute has been given exclusive access to a suite of rooms in the Martin Tower where they have created the Royal Salute Chamber. Welcome, then to the exclusive home of their private, invitation only, tasting experience for connoisseurs of this legendary prestige blended Scotch.

Restricted to a maximum of 8 guests, and thus ensuring a highly personal and memorable experience, the room has been subtly themed with references to its history – intricate illustrations of the Royal Menagerie grace the walls, while a digital interactive tasting table takes guests on a sensory journey through time.

At the heart of the Chamber are the vintage display cases once used for the Koh-i-Noor and Cullinan Diamonds, amongst the stunning centrepieces of the British Royal regalia. Today the cabinets house an unrivalled archive library of rare old Royal Salute expressions, the ‘Treasures Collection’ specially reserved for the Royal Salute Chamber, including well-loved classics, limited-edition collaborations and exceptionally aged whiskies normally reserved for the Royal Salute Private Cask Programme . Fortunate visitors will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sample these and then be amongst the first in the world to experience the new 62 Gun Salute Collection.

As military buffs will know, the 62 Gun Salute is the rarest of tributes, fired only from the Tower of London and only on the Birth, Accession or Coronation of the British Sovereign, comprising 41 for the Royal Salute from a London saluting station and, marking the loyalty of its citizens, 21 from the City of London.

There are three outstanding whiskies to savour in the Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute Collection – crafted as the ultimate gesture of honour and celebration and taking their inspiration from Royal Salute’s regal heritage, to evoke the sensory spectacle of the 62 Gun Salute, reserved as the British Monarchy’s highest form of ceremonial honour, fired exclusively from the Tower of London.

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They have been created by Royal Salute’s Master Blender Sandy Hyslop, who brings his forty years of experience to guarantee the continuity of quality and flavour of the Scotch year on year.  The blending process begins with nosing – as Sandy says, “95% of my job is done on the nose. I am nosing many samples every week, perhaps 1500 samples in a week, whereas I only taste about five or six.”

Over 50 different whiskies, rare malts and grains from Scotland’s finest distilleries, have gone into the 62 Gun Salute Collection which Sandy describes as “our signature blend, the 21 Year Old but taken up another level”. The three whiskies comprise the original, iconic and highly awarded 62 Gun Original Reserve (RSP $3,000 from selected global retailers) and alongside it, two newcomers namely, The American Oak Reserve (RSP $3,300, distribution as The Original Reserve) and The Peated Reserve (RSP $3,300 initially in global tax free outlets prior to the international rollout).

All share Royal Salute’s signature Speyside sweetness but showcase different aspects of flavour, with the American Oak Reserve emphasising sweet fruit flavours (orange marmalade, mango and pineapple notes) exquisitely balanced by red apples and dry spice notes.  The creamy toffee textures of Longmorn single malt delivered an extended rolling finish that seems never-ending.

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By contrast, and suggesting the lingering hints of gunpowder that follow the 62 Gun Salute ceremony, the Peated Reserve, as the name suggests, offers up a multi-faceted wave of aromatic smoke with the more assertive island peat characteristics tempered by spicy sherry and liquorice notes.  Sandy has scoured the Chivas Brother’s warehouses to incorporate rare single malts such as a 26 year old peated Caperdonich – an irreplaceable whisky to delight the connoisseur, but probably never put to better use than in this blended masterpiece.

We were fortunate to discuss the whiskies with Sandy Hyslop in the unique surroundings of the Royal Salute Chamber and he was happy to share a few of his secrets with Robb Report, beginning with his view on the differences between the new 62 Gun Salute collection whiskies, all of which have received Gold Awards from the International Spirits Challenge, 2024.

“Each new blend brings its own flavour profile, so that individually and sitting alongside each other, the taste experience is exceptional and fully envelopes the senses” he suggested, going on to add that each takes inspiration from different elements of the 62 Gun Salute ceremony. “Take The American Oak for example, its vibrancy of flavour captures the intensity of the ceremony, whilst as an intentional contrast, the flavours of The Peated Reserve represent the subtle smokiness which drifts over the City of London at the salute’s conclusion.”

He was not to be drawn on a personal favourite, however, suggesting (with more than a hint of a smile) that our question was “the Scotch equivalent of asking a parent to choose a favourite child!”

But as to a recommended serve, this veteran Master Blender didn’t hesitate, telling us unambiguously that “there’s no hard and fast rule.”  However, he quickly added, “all Royal Salute whiskies are meant to be best enjoyed according to individual preference. With such a powerful flavour profile to the 62 Gun Salute Collection, I would recommend adding just a drop of water to get the full tasting experience. I do like to think it will be a go-to choice to mark moments of particular significance. Those occasions where you can say ‘this moment is deserving of a truly special toast’.”

Perhaps, if you’re extremely fortunate, in the company of old friends in the very, very special Royal Salute Chamber.

Visiting the Royal Salute Chamber

Royal Salute will welcome guests to its new home at the Tower of London from July 2024, by invitation only. The experience includes a private tour of the famed British Crown Jewels; a sensory exploration of bespoke fragrances created by Master Perfumier Barnabé Fillion, inspired by the Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute Collection; a comparative and interactive tasting of the new 62 Gun Salute Collection, and access to the Royal Salute ‘Treasures Collection’.

To find out more information, visit us here .
To purchase the new 62 Gun Salute Collection, visit us here .

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