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December 2025 – Royal Salute, the master of exceptionally aged Scotch whisky, proudly presents the second chapter of its collaboration with visionary fashion designer, Harris Reed – the Royal Salute 21 Year Old Harris Reed Edition II. Marking the latest edition in Royal Salute’s esteemed Fashion Collection, this bespoke limited-edition 21 Year Old expression is a remarkable blend of heritage, craftsmanship and cutting-edge design.
The new limited-edition flagon is available in two bespoke designs, both of which draw inspiration from iconic royal clothing. These stunning bottle designs reimagine royal crowns through intricate lace patterns, infused with Harris Reed’s contemporary edge. Each creation celebrates both heritage and modern artistry, serving as a collectible item that visually encapsulates the spirit of this unique partnership.
Together, Harris Reed and Royal Salute Master Blender Sandy Hyslop have pushed the boundaries of luxury whisky and high-end couture, crafting a spirit that embodies both of their distinct artistic visions. Building on the acclaimed first edition in the partnership, this second collaboration delves deeper into Harris Reed’s diverse style, promising even greater collectability and creative depth.
The Royal Salute 21 Year Old Harris Reed Edition II Scotch whisky highlights a higher proportion of Longmorn and first-fill Sherry butt-matured whiskies, introducing elevated creamy and spiced notes, while Braeval malts and Strathclyde grain whiskies bring a delicate floral profile. The result is a spirit that is both delicate and boldly expressive, balancing feminine elegance with masculine depth, a reflection of Reed’s multifaceted personality.
Harris Reed, Royal Salute’s Global Fashion Collaborator, commented on the launch: “Collaborating with Royal Salute for a second year has been an incredible journey of creative evolution. This year, Sandy and I delved even deeper into exploring the intersection of high fashion and luxury whisky, pushing boundaries to create something truly unique and collectible. This edition is a bolder, more intricate statement, and I believe it beautifully captures the spirit of innovation that defines both Royal Salute and my own work.”
Sandy Hyslop, Royal Salute’s Master Blender, commented: “Crafting the Royal Salute 21 Year Old Harris Reed Edition II has been a real privilege, building upon the remarkable foundation of our first release. We’ve meticulously balanced the blend to reflect Harris’ distinctive style, introducing creamy and spicy notes that perfectly complement the vibrant fruit characteristics. This whisky is a testament to the harmony that can be achieved when the worlds of exceptional Scotch and visionary design truly converge.”
The Royal Salute 21 Year Old Harris Reed Edition II will be available from December as a domestic market exclusive in Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines and Poland across select luxury retailers with RRP varying across markets.
For more information and to discover Harris Reed’s collection for Royal Salute, please follow @royalsalute or visit royalsalute.com.
Welcome one and all to our now live 175th auction! We hope you are all having a tremendous festive season, with many a dram and mince pie close to hand. As with every month there are literally thousands of high quality bottles in the auction to choose from, so to get your watchlist started we’ve picked out a few special drams to shine a light on.
Let’s start with a bang shall we? This incredibly distinguished dram is the Macallan 40 Year Old The Red Collection. This is an absolutely astounding release from Macallan which showcases their mastery of sherry wood ageing. Individually numbered and signed by Macallan’s first female Master Whisky Maker Kirsteen Campbell, this whisky is as special as they come.
Next up is the one that started it all for this up and coming farm distillery in the heart of the Kingdom of Fife, this is the Daftmill 2005 Inaugural Release. A marriage of three casks which produced the relatively small outturn of 629 bottles, this is a light whisky in the Lowland style and helped to establish Daftmill in the crowded distillery landscape as one to watch.
From the Kingdom of Fife to the Land of the Rising Sun, this rather delicious looking dram is the Hanyu 1991 Cask #370. Hanyu Distillery has long gone the way of the dodo, and so stocks of the remaining liquid are precious and scarcely available. This whisky has been bottled by the good people at the Number 1 Drinks Company whose foresight helped bring this lost treasure to market.
And finally, we have an absolute classic of a dram, this darkly inviting whisky is the Glengoyne 28 Year Old. Unfussy packaging, no bells and whistles or marketing gimmicks, just really good whisky at a (relatively) fair price. Glengoyne has long been a favourite of ours here at SWA and drams such as this one are the reason why.As always we have an enormous selection of drams to suit every budget on offer this month, so now is the time to delve into this month’s offerings and start building that watchlist.
Best of luck to everyone in the auction, and as always………..don’t lose your bottle.
Our Online Diploma in Single Malt Whisky is being refreshed for 2026 and it’s our most exciting update yet. You can expect a newly authored World Whiskies module by Dave Broom, bringing fresh insight, storytelling and decades of global whisky expertise. There’ll be an updated tasting pack curated by Dave, featuring six representative world whisky styles. What’s more, in the History module, you’ll find four fascinating new video discussions with Dave Broom and the respected whisky historian Iain Russell.
Global whisky is evolving faster than ever and this refresh ensures our Diploma remains current, authoritative and world-class, while retaining the depth and rigour candidates expect. It is still SQA-certified and trusted by 450+ candidates since 2021. The updated material launches in early January.
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2011 Blair Athol 11 Year Old “Old Malt Cask” Single Sherry Butt Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)
Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA
Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 589: Belgian Owl 8 Year Old 2017 Single Cask for Care for Craft Spirits
Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, celebrates the new year with a Belgian malt. The Belgian whisky shop Care for Craft Spirits is proud to announce the launch of an exclusive single cask bottling in collaboration with The Belgian Owl Distillery. The whisky is distilled from sustainable, unpeated local barley. What makes it unique is that the distillate was produced in the stills of the closed Scottish distillery Caperdonich. The malt was aged for 8 years in a first fill Heaven Hill bourbon cask. It was bottled at 55% without colouring or chill filtration. Mark thought it quite fitting to be a little chauvinistic on the first day of the year. Happy New Year!
