The exuberant Asia-exclusive whisky blend is the perfect way to kick-start your year-end revelry
Right out of the box, Royal Salute’s 24-Year-Old Cognac Cask Finish will draw nods of approval from bon vivants partial to sights and symbols of auspiciousness from this part of the world. Sheathed in rich scarlet and spiked with gold accents, the flagon wastes no time in expressing its mission for good tidings in this celebratory season.
The exquisite spirit is, after all, billed as an Asia-exclusive—a forthright courtship of the region’s whisky aficionados. While the 24-Year-Old Cognac Cask Finish ticks all the right boxes in terms of appearance—the packaging, too, is lavished with Asian-inspired imagery symbolising good fortune and prosperity with giant pandas and pagodas portrayed alongside blooming peonies and chrysanthemums—what ultimately seals the deal remains the spirit’s exceptional taste profile.
The storied distillery in Strathisla is committed to only producing whiskies aged a minimum of 21 years. Here, the 24-Year-Old Cognac Cask Finish not only stays true to the company’s long-held vision, but expresses its penchant for the evolution of craft and innovation. It is Royal Salute’s first-ever cognac cask finished whisky, and a noteworthy follow-up to other similarly creative cask finishes like the 26-Year-Old Amarone Wine Cask Finish, and the first-fill bourbon and first-fill rye casks bottled in the 21-Year-Old Miami Polo Edition.
Master blender Sandy Hyslop was determined to create a spirit that is nuanced, rich and luxurious all at once. Using the rarest and finest first-fill French oak, and meticulously concocting a blend of exceptional single malts from distilleries of Strathisla and Longmorn, Hyslop patiently waited and watched as the precious liquid aged and matured for 24 years.
And what we have now is an extraordinary spirit that catches the light as if the sun had dissolved in a glass, and exudes distinctively fruity and sweet notes of dark cherries and toasted oak, followed by marzipan, rich caramelised figs, and peaches in syrup.
The whisky’s multifaceted personality slowly unravels with each sip. It is an experience to be slowly savoured, as one wraps his tongue (and head) around the spirit’s depth of flavours that lilt from punchy berries and apricot jam to nostalgically creamy caramel, before leaving you with a subtly spicy finish.
With its rich and sophisticated flavour profile, the 24 Year Old Cognac Cask would pair beautifully with dishes like Peking Duck, with its fruity and spicy notes enhancing the duck’s rich, crispy skin and succulent meat. Not exactly traditional Christmas fare, but we recommend you do this Asia-exclusive justice. And not forgetting, Chinese New Year celebrations are just around the corner.
The Asia-exclusive Royal Salute 24 Year Old Cognac Cask is now available at select retailers, and establishments such as Paradise Group outlets and HighHouse.
