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John Walker &
Sons celebrates 60th anniversary of Her
Majesty the Queen's accession to the
throne with the bottling of Diamond
Jubilee by John Walker & Sons, a blend
of rare scotch whiskies distilled in
1952.
 Today,
Monday 6th February 2012 in Royal
Deeside, Scotland, sixty years to the
day since The Queen's accession, John
Walker & Sons, Scotch Whisky Distillers
By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen,
celebrated the occasion with the
bottling of Diamond Jubilee By John
Walker & Sons; a specially crafted blend
of rare malt and grain Scotch Whiskies
distilled in and maturing since 1952,
the year she acceded to the throne.
At Royal Lochnagar Distillery, on the
edge of Her Majesty The Queen's Balmoral
Estate, David Gates, Grantee of John
Walker & Sons Royal Warrant, will
oversaw the filling of The Queen's
decanter, as well as 60 further editions
for sale around the world. The profits
from the sale of these editions are
being donated to the Queen Elizabeth
Scholarship Trust (QEST) with a
guaranteed amount of at least £1million
and will support the excellence of
craftsmanship as symbolised by the Royal
Warrant of Appointment.
David Gates commented: "John Walker &
Sons was first awarded a Royal Warrant
in 1934 by King George V. We are
extremely honoured that the quality of
our whiskies is recognised by this
symbol and our commitment to this
calibre of quality and service is
unwavering. Today in 2012, we are
privileged to be able to celebrate The
Queen's remarkable achievement with this
fitting tribute, Diamond Jubilee by John
Walker & Sons, the sales of which will
help to create an enduring legacy for
the supreme craftsmanship that it
represents."
The creation of Diamond Jubilee by John
Walker & Sons has been a
once-in-a-lifetime privilege for Master
Blender Jim Beveridge and his apprentice
Matthew Crow who have overseen the
search, selection and expert blending of
the whiskies from the beginning. The
final, traditional step of marrying has
been carried out in casks made by the
John Walker & Sons coopers using oak
provided by kind permission of The Queen
from her private Sandringham Estate.
Master Blender Jim Beveridge said:
"Along with Master Cooper David Taylor,
who I have worked alongside for more
than 30 years, and all those at John
Walker & Sons, I feel an immense sense
of pride to be involved in this project.
An extraordinary amount of care and
attention has gone into every stage of
crafting this Scotch Whisky and there
has been a great sense of excitement
building towards today, when the full
character and flavours of Diamond
Jubilee by John Walker & Sons will be
revealed for the first time."
John Walker & Sons has harnessed the
skills of more than 60 fine artisans,
including fellow Royal Warrant Holders
and QEST Scholars who are creating
bespoke pieces to present and accompany
the whisky.
The diamond shaped Baccarat crystal
decanters stand on a crystal base with
six radial legs to reflect the decades
of The Queen's enduring reign, and are
adorned with Britannia silver, selected
for its purity. Leading Scottish
silversmiths, Hamilton & Inches, has
fashioned the collars set with a
half-carat diamond, the Royal Arms, John
Walker & Sons monogram and individually
numbered seals.
Each edition also includes a pair of
lead Cumbria Crystal glasses engraved by
Philip Lawson Johnston and a
commemorative artefact book, hand bound
by Laura West at her Isle of Skye
bindery and personalised for each owner
by Sally Mangum, Calligrapher By
Appointment to
Her Majesty The Queen. All the elements
will be housed in a chest made by the
cabinet makers at N.E.J. Stevenson,
incorporating oak from Sandringham to
echo the whisky marrying casks and
Caledonian pine from The Queen's
Balmoral Estate.
Chairman of QEST, Richard Watling,
commented: "The creation of this
beautiful work, a monument to the skills
of its craftspeople and the definitive
tribute to 60 years of Her Majesty's
reign is of enormous significance to
QEST. The donation will enable us to
significantly increase the number of
scholarships we award, helping to secure
the preservation of vital craft skills
for generations to come. For this, QEST
is extremely grateful."
Two further editions created for the
John Walker & Sons archive, will embark
on a tour around the world in Her
Majesty's Diamond Jubilee year.
The 60 editions of Diamond Jubilee by
John Walker & Sons will be released by
John Walker & Sons for sale at £100,000
(excluding UK VAT).
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