Highgrove and Cotswolds Distillery have joined forces to unveil a limited-edition Royal Gardens single malt whisky, crafted from heritage barley sourced directly from the Highgrove Estate.
This exclusive release features a distinct vatting of Cotswolds Distillery’s single malt whisky, utilizing heritage Plumage Archer barley cultivated at the Highgrove Estate. It has been expertly aged in premium active ex-red wine and first fill bourbon casks, enhancing its unique character.
Plumage Archer, a barley variety renowned for its subtle yet distinctive flavor profile, lends a unique twist to Cotswolds’ new make spirit. The Royal Gardens edition was bottled exclusively by Cotswolds Distillery on 21st October 2024, with a limited collection of just 400 bottles available for purchase. You can find these bottles exclusively at The Highgrove Shop at Highgrove Gardens, on the Highgrove website, and through Cotswolds Distillery shops and website. Each bottle of Highgrove Royal Gardens Single Malt Whisky is numbered and features a label showcasing a watercolour of The South Front, Highgrove House, painted by His Majesty King Charles III and reproduced by kind permission of The King’s Foundation to Cotswolds Distillery.
The King’s Foundation acts as the custodian of Highgrove Gardens, which opens its doors to the public and generates annual income for charitable activities. Importantly, all profits from the sales of this whisky will support The King’s Foundation in its charitable initiatives aimed at providing education and training. Some of these initiatives occur at Highgrove. The King’s Foundation’s base at Highgrove offers numerous education and training opportunities in furniture-making, fashion, textiles, and building craft skills.
Scott Simpson, retail director at The King’s Foundation, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, saying: “We are so excited to launch a new limited edition whisky with Cotswolds Distillery and it’s particularly special that it has been produced using heritage barley grown on the Highgrove Estate. The garden at Highgrove provides inspiration for all of our products, including our extensive range of food and drink made using ingredients from the garden. We are proud that all of the proceeds from Highgrove products are ploughed back into the work of The King’s Foundation and the charity’s educational delivery which takes place on site.”
Dan Szor, founder of Cotswolds Distillery, added: “We are so happy with our ongoing relationship with Highgrove, which represents traditional values of British craftsmanship at its finest, and it is an honour indeed to adorn this bottling with His Majesty’s beautiful painting of the Highgrove Estate.”
Cotswolds Distillery stands as the first and only full-scale distillery in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The distillery is committed to being a model of environmentally sustainable rural business, generating local jobs and promoting its picturesque region to visitors worldwide. Furthermore, all barley is locally sourced and traditionally floor-malted at nearby Warminster Maltings, recognized as Britain’s oldest working maltings where Plumage Archer barley was first developed in 1906.
