Royal Salute 51
A consumable NFT?
You might see the words ‘whisky’ and ‘NFT’ and wonder how they could possibly overlap. One is a new-fangled entity that facilitates digital ownership while the other is a real life drink you can hold in your real life hands and experience on a multi-sensory level.
The beginnings of their similarities – or similarity in their beginnings in this case – are crucial to bridging the gap between the ancient amber dram and the non-fungible token sphere. The world of NFTs, much like that of whisky, is one that is initially bewildering, impenetrable and not something you might ever see yourself being interested in. But when they click, and it is a watershed, almost audible moment, there is no looking back.
A lot of NFT sceptics struggle to place value on digital assets, but now the line is being blurred and NFTs with real-world boons and experiences attached to them are commonplace. Access to events, gallery spaces, concerts and valuable industry networks are being tied into NFTs and whisky company Royal Salute is carving into the space with some incredibly novel incentives.
On the 21st of December, they launched their first ever NFT bottle of a very rare 51 year old whisky on BlockBar – a platform that sells luxury spirits via NFT directly to consumers worldwide (duty free). The NFT corresponds to an actual bottle of a 51 year old whisky, which is a blend of very rare expressions from distilleries that no longer even exist. Scarcity is everything in this game.
This unique release is one of the rarest expressions in the entire Royal Salute portfolio, and to celebrate this, it has been adorned with a 24-carat gold plaque detailing the luxury whisky’s first foray into the world of NFTs. Bearing the signature of Royal Salute Master Blender Sandy Hyslop, the NFT grants the owner a host of amazing experiences.
In addition to the one-of-one physical bottle, the token attached will unlock an invitation to a private tasting with Sandy Hyslop, complete with a 5cl miniature of the high-aged blend. An exclusive guided tour of the renowned Strathisla Distillery in the Speyside region comes next. And then a luxury overnight stay and dinner for two complete with a sampling of the wider Royal Salute portfolio of exceptional blends in the Royal Salute Vault, where the Scotch’s most precious expressions are kept.
This special release has a distinctive flavour profile that has developed over five decades and was perfected thanks to the intricate nurturing and expert craft of Sandy Hyslop. The distinctive amber whisky has been bottled at cask strength and is non-chill filtered, to preserve it at its purest form. It exudes notes of blood orange partnered with the sweetness of aged oak, salted caramel and precious Manuka honey on the nose, followed by a subtleness of sweet hickory smoke, peach and bergamot.
