Master blender Colin Scott selected 75 rare whiskies for the unique blend, including 19 spirits from ‘lost distilleries’ such as Imperial, Glenlochy and Convalmore.
He created just two bottles of the Blend of 75 whisky, which will be paired with two portraits of King Charles III, created by Welsh artist Mark Evans. They are currently on display at Wiltons Restaurant in London.
The first portrait is ‘a gift to the nation’ and it will be displayed at London’s Sladmore Gallery over the summer. One bottle of Blend of 75 will be presented to His Majesty privately.
The other portrait and Blend of 75 bottle will be auctioned off for charity. The conservative combined market value of the portrait and bottle of whisky is estimated at $600,000 (£471,600).
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All proceeds will go to Big Change, a charity founded in 2012 by Princess Beatrice and five friends, which is designed to transform education on a global basis.
Scott, who spent 47 years working at Chivas Brothers before joining The Last Drop Distillers in 2020, said: ‘It was my great honour to be asked to create this unique blend to honour His Majesty King Charles.
‘I had the opportunity to choose from The Last Drop’s inventory of maturing barrels to create a blend of 75 different Scotch whiskies, from the four corners of Scotland.
‘My aim was simple: to produce a unique whisky that represents Scotland, the magic of Scotch Whisky and our profound admiration for His Majesty.’
Some of the whiskies are more than 50 years old, and the resulting blend is said to be exceptionally rich and complex.
An additional 10 drams, made during the bottling process, are being sold for £10,000 apiece at Wiltons in order to raise more funds for the charity.
King Charles III was born on 14 November 1948, but the king also celebrates a second birthday on the second Saturday in June each year.
This is his official birthday, which is known as Trooping the Colour, and the portraits and blended whiskies were created in time for the occasion.
