As much as the mention of Royal Salute brings to mind visions of sprawling polo fields and titillating clinking of ice in a whisky glass, it is branching into another field of luxury with the release of a new expression.
The Royal Salute 21 year Old Richard Quinn Edition lays the carpet for a new Royal Salute collection that pays tribute to haute couture. The first of many yet to come, it highlights the design of British designer Richard Quinn, an up and coming name in the London fashion scene. In a bottle, it is the artistic meet of fashion and whisky at the forefront of luxury lifestyles.
The Bottle and Designer
Having graduated from London’s prestigious Central Saint Martins Arts and Design School, Richard Quinn shot to fame for winning the ‘British Emerging Talent – Womenswear’ award at the 2018 Fashion Awards, as well as the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. Riotous florals, heavy pearls and a fresh take on latex signal Richard Quinn’s distinctive signature style. It is this same element that he has chosen to dress the decanter of the new expression in.
In a bold statement of style and elegance, the re-imagined porcelain flagon, available in black and white, is embellished with a petals and thorns. It is sophistication meets edginess, the hallmarks of Quinn’s personal design.
The Whisky
Within, the flagons hold a new whisky fashioned by Royal Salute Master Blender Sandy Hyslop using Quinn’s design style as its core inspiration. What that brings is elegant floral notes with a rich and indulgent finish.
In a first for Royal Salute, the whisky in this instance was made to reflect Quinn’s design of the bottle instead of the other way round. Typically, flagons are designed to match the liquid gold they hold within.
“My job as master blender is to ensure that all of Royal Salute’s expressions have that signature style – that rich, sweet, fruity complex character,” shares Sandy Hyslop, Master Blender of Royal Salute. “If someone enjoys Royal Salute, I want them to buy the Richard Quinn edition and get that same flavour but with an extra twist. To do that, I wanted to introduce really beautiful floral flavours into the blend, with some real sweet floral bouquet coming through.”
To do that, Hyslop used 31 fine malts from Royal Salute’s inventory – one for each year of the designer’s age at the time of the blend’s release.
“It’s a trial and error process, but a process I always do with two things on my mind,” Hyslop elaborates. “One, I need to be true to that Royal Salute family style and, two, I need to be sure that in making this new expression, I feel it completely reflects the whole character of designer and decanter.”
The Flavours
On the nose, the Royal Salute Richard Quinn edition delivers rich and fruity scents, overlaid with notes of red apples and peaches, combined with creamy crème brulée, hazelnut chocolate, zest of orange and distinct floral notes.
Take a sip and have your palate coated with rich and sweet apricot and mango notes, followed by vanilla, chocolate and ginger spice.
It tails off with a long enduring finish, where jasmine sambuc blooms and roses tease aplenty.
Learn more about the new Royal Salute Richard Quinn Edition at the official website here.
(Photos: Royal Salute)