Whilst we do find ourselves pretty impressed by whiskies fairly regularly, it's not nearly as often that we find ourselves impressed by the bottle in which the whisky comes in - now labels are another story altogether. Yet, the reality is that it's a whole package, and as much as it's what's inside that counts, we do appreciate it when everything is in place and all comes together, because why not? There's no shortage of greatness when it comes to great bottles is there?
And so with the fairly new Royal Salute Key To The Kingdom 30 Year Old (released in 2022, and now part of the Royal Salute permanent collection), we had to point out just how impressed we were at the really cool and solid to the touch granite aesthetic of the flagon! It's giving Game of Thrones, and just looks so cool seated on a shelf, not to mention pouring whisky from it! To top it off the stopper is designed to pay homage to the hilt of ancient Scottish swords! And just to complete the whole packaging, it comes in a display box that is adorned with really pretty art that incorporates ceremonial horns, royal roses, noble swords and regal crests too. It's a whole vibe, we have to say!
The Ceremony of the Keys.
Given Royal Salute's origins dating back to Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953 that was celebrated with the traditional 21 gun salute, the Royal Salute Key To The Kingdom too pays tribute to yet another royalist tradition - the Ceremony of the Keys. The Ceremony of the Keys is an annual tradition that takes place at Scotland's Holyrood Palace where the keys to the City of Edinburgh is presented to the sitting English monarch as a pledge of loyalty.
As the name suggests, the expression is a 30 Year Old, although the details of its composition aren't disclosed, and was created by now Chivas Regal Master Blender Emeritus Sandy Hyslop.
Without further ado, let's get to tasting it! Let's go!
Whisky Review: Royal Salute Key To The Kingdom 30 Years Old, 40% ABV
Tasting Notes
Colour: Dark Amber
Aroma: Opens round and jammy, all orange marmalade and poached pear, with toffee and caramel underneath. There is some marzipan too, almond-sweet and a little nutty, and behind it a herbal honey and soft vanilla that keep things rich without tipping into syrup, along with sweet malt running through the middle. A wisp of smoke arrives on the back, and it arrives as smoked florals: smoked lavender, touch of smoked heather. A small thread of antique oak and a touch of milk chocolate roundedness.
Taste: Where the nose is sweet, the palate seems to show more muscle. Then comes the exotic smoked lemons and bright lemon zest, with a tropical-fruit brightness sitting right alongside the citrus and the smoke. For me there is a rather distinct restrained Highland-style smoke streak here – leaning much more earthy, woody and herbal than Islay smoke’s briny or medicinal theme. Honeyed sweetness and poached-pear fruit com in, with a nutty centre of walnut and almond, a little more orange supremes, and the same soft vanilla and milk chocolate from the nose. It is aromatic and faintly peppery, and it drinks with quite some power.
Finish: Long, and aromatically smoked. The smoke does not fade so much as slowly settle in, carrying light burnt tobacco and a soft bonfire char. A little white pepper prickles at the close. Sweet oak, a trace of nuttiness and the last of the vanilla fade slowly behind it, and right at the far end there is a faint herbaceous note.
My Thoughts
This is a slow-savouring complex dram that engages all your senses with quite a lot of character. It changes quite a bit in the glass from sweet and polished to smoky and persistent. It opens on the nose as a sweet, jammy, almost dessert-like whisky, all marmalade and toffee and herbal honey, and you could be forgiven for thinking there is little smoke in it at all. Then it turns and takes on a restrained smokiness on the palate that refuses to leave by the finish.
This would reward an unhurried evening when you wish to have a solid Highland peated dram (made with a peated Caperdonich malt component) with a bit more power and backbone.
@CharsiuCharlie
