Diamond Jubilee by John Walker & Sons

Nice bit of work from the fine folk at Johnnie walker this. They have released a special commemorative bottling to commemorate HRH’s sixty years on the throne.

As far as crafted authenticity goes, this one  is a doozy. The whiskies contained in the blend have all been resting in the Johnnie Walker warehouse since they were distilled in 1952, the year Elizabeth was anointed Queen and ascended the throne.

The selected liquids have been married together in barrels handcrafted from oak provided by the Queen from her estate at Sandringham.

The diamondshaped Baccarat crystal decanters stand on a crystal base with six radial legs to reflect the decades of The Queen’s enduring reign, and are adorned with Britannia silver, selected for its purity. Leading Scottish silversmiths, Hamilton & Inches, has fashioned the collars set with a half-carat diamond, the Royal Arms, John Walker & Sons monogram and individually numbered seals.

Each edition also includes a pair of lead Cumbria Crystal glasses engraved by Philip Lawson Johnston and a commemorative artefact book, hand bound by Laura West at her Isle of Skye bindery and personalised for each owner by Sally Mangum, Calligrapher By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen. All the elements will be housed in a chest made by the cabinet makers at N.E.J. Stevenson, incorporating oak from Sandringham to echo the whisky marrying casks and Caledonian pine from The Queen’s Balmoral Estate.

Aside from the bottle the Queen and Prince Philip are set to enjoy, the others will be sold around the world, to the benefit of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST.) Support is guaranteed at a million pounds, so you can expect to pay at least seventeen thousand pounds to call a bottle your own.

Chairman of QEST, Richard Watling, commented: “The creation of this beautiful work, a monument to the skills of its craftspeople and the definitive tribute to 60 years of Her Majesty’s reign is of enormous significance to QEST. The donation will enable us to significantly increase the number of scholarships we award, helping to secure the preservation of vital craft skills for generations to come. For this, QEST is extremely grateful.”