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Royal Salute The Eternal Reserve Born Of Special Blending

Royal Salute blended Scotch whisky, created by Chivas Brothers/Pernod Ricard at the Strathisla distillery in Scotland’s Speyside region, has come up with an interesting new blending technique it thinks will help it “create a whisky that will, quite literally, live forever.” The new spirit is known as The Eternal Reserve and, as for the technique, it is called “Circular Blending.”

First, Circular Blending. Here’s exactly how it is described by Chivas Brothers:

The very first creation of Royal Salute The Eternal Reserve began with the preparation of 88 casks of incredibly rare and precious whiskies, all aged in their casks for over 21 years. These whiskies were carefully selected using two criteria: firstly, that each whisky possessed an exceptionally long finish that could be further extended through blending and marrying process and secondly, that the whiskies chosen could be beautifully harmonised in each new batch, while keeping the original signature style forever.

Once selected, the precious whiskies were blended together and then further married in 88 casks in the Royal Salute Vault for a period of six months. This original blend is then blended with other 88 casks worth of precious whisky of exceptionally aged whiskies to complete the first batch.

Before bottling this first batch, our expert blending team holds some of the blend back, returning it to the original 88 casks, so they can form the basis of the next batch. These 88 casks are always safeguarded in the Royal Salute Vault in Strathisla distillery. Each time a new batch is blended, the same process – circulation of 88 casks – is repeated; the whiskies of the 88 casks from the previous batch are added to the new blend of the next batch.

Interesting. Perhaps similar to solera aging? Whatever the case, the whisky is then bottled into special porcelain flagons that each are said to have taken up to six days to traditionally make, including hand applying the branding to the bottle.

Royal Salute Eternal Reserve
image via Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard said the first batch of 88 casks is being sold through global travel retail for now and will price $180 per bottle. Official tasting notes for Royal Salute The Eternal Reserve are below, as well as a little video talking more about how this Scotch is made.

Nose: A dreamy sensation of ripeness is the first to arrive. Pears in syrup, honeycomb and creamy vanilla. An unmistakable promise of intense sweetness to come.

Taste: Like the changing of green to gold and the falling of the leaves, the burst of the rich sensuality of liquid honey, juice-laden oranges and tangy liquorice. Mellow, graceful and serene.

Finish: Time passes to reveal a beautiful and incredibly long lingering culmination. Like the eternal cycle of nature. A finish that lasts and lasts; never-ending.

 

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