Balmoral Castle and Estate releases rare whisky to mark King Charles III 75th birthday

Balmoral Castle and Estate, the Scottish home of the Royal family - has released an exclusive single malt whisky to celebrate King Charles' 75th birthday last month.

The King’s Birthday Edition Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky was distilled at neighbouring Royal Lochnagar distillery in Royal Deeside, and aged for 45 years in a single cask, number 1838.

The 52.1 per cent ABV whisky, distilled on November 7, 1978, was tasted earlier this year by King Charles and bottled on his 75th birthday – November 14.

The cask produced just 253 bottles, each numbered by hand, presented in handcrafted cases made with "windfallen larch" from the Balmoral Estate and incorporating Balmoral tweed.

An exclusive single malt whisky released to celebrate King Charles' 75th birthday last month. Picture: Mike Wilkinson

The special King’s Birthday edition bottles went on sale, at £3,200 each, exclusively from the Balmoral Gift Shop and website.

Three bottles have been retained by Balmoral to raise funds for charitable activity in Aberdeenshire and bottle number 75 will be placed in the Royal Lochnagar archive.

Each bottle will support the planting of 75 trees – one for each of the King’s 75 years – on the Balmoral Estate to create a legacy of more than 18,000 trees for future generations.

Royal Lochnagar distillery, a mile from Balmoral Castle, originally opened in 1845 as Lochnagar, named after the nearby mountain. It was renamed Royal Lochnagar following a visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert from Balmoral Castle in 1848.

The distillery was granted a Royal Warrant as Scotch Whisky Distillers By Appointment to Queen Elizabeth II, in 2021.

Ewan Andrew, president of global supply chain and procurement at parent company Diageo and grantee of the Royal Warrant held by Royal Lochnagar, said: "The association between Balmoral and Royal Lochnagar Distillery dates back to the first Royal visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1848.

"Everyone at Royal Lochnagar today is proud to supply our Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky to Balmoral, and also to have welcomed His Majesty, as The Duke of Rothesay, to the distillery on several occasions.

"It was an honour to select one of our rarest casks for The King’s Birthday Edition and fitting that it will generate a natural legacy in the area through the tree planting it will support on the Balmoral Estate."

A spokesperson for Balmoral said: "His Majesty The King’s 30th birthday in November 1978 was marked with a collection of photographic portraits taken in the grounds of Balmoral Castle.

"In celebration of His Majesty’s 75th birthday, we are thrilled to be releasing a whisky distilled that same month by our neighbour, Royal Lochnagar, presented in a case made with larch from the Balmoral Estate."

The rare whisky has been described as "elegant in true Highland style", with aromas of fresh berries, redcurrants and citrus zest; a "rich and creamy" palate with "exquisite Royal Lochnagar signature fruit notes, candied walnuts and toffee undertones" and a "lingering finish" of ripe berries, citrus and oak spice.

The bottles feature a gold engraving of the Balmoral crest, with His Majesty’s Cypher at its centre. They also feature "zero-waste seaweed paper" made by Notpla, a winner of The Earthshot Prize, of which Prince William, The Duke of Rothesay, is founder and president.

To mark the launch, the Royal Lochnagar team planted a commemorative tree – Betula Ermanii, known as Erman’s Birch – at the distillery, alongside seven birch trees planted last year in memory of Queen Elizabeth II, for The Queen’s Green Canopy.

The King’s Birthday Edition is the latest in a series of Scotch whiskies distilled at Royal Lochnagar and bottled by Balmoral Castle & Estate to mark special Royal occasions.

Previous limited releases celebrated the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.

Royal Lochnagar has welcomed His Majesty The King to the distillery on three official occasions: in 1995 to mark the 150th anniversary of the distillery; in 1998, 150 years after the visit by Queen Victoria & Prince Albert; and most recently in 2018, for the 170th anniversary of the first Royal visit and to receive a 1988 cask as it turned 30 years old, bottled on His Majesty’s 70th birthday to raise funds for the-then Prince’s Foundation.