King Charles III Coronation Edition: $31K Single Malt

In celebration of the coronation of King Charles III, legendary private bottlers Gordon & Macphail is unveiling King Charles III Coronation Edition. The 74-year-old single malt Scotch will be available for purchase May 2023 and retail for roughly $31,000.

As you'd imagine, most retailers won’t ever put this once-in-a-generation limited-edition Scotch on something so common as a shelf.

There are a few fun quirks to this whisky worth mentioning. Gordon & MacPhail has been in possession of it since 1948. The liquid was initially put into first-fill sherry casks on April 10 of that year and left to age for 74 years. It was bottled on December 15, 2022, which is the anniversary of Charles’ christening. Its final bottling ABV of 50.4 percent is unusually high given its age.

Assuming you’re not sticker shocked by the retail price, you’ll still be going on an uphill journey to get your hands on The King Charles III Coronation Edition. Only 281 bottles are being filled—likely the entire stock, given that this whisky has defied expectations just to reach 74 years in the first place.

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That means your local whisky shop isn’t going to have one on-hand, and while a 74-year-old whisky doesn’t need a special occasion to sell, a coronation increases both the collector’s value and the competition to find one.

Coronation whiskies (and whiskies bottled for the commemoration of events in the royal family’s history) are rare releases, though royal family commemorations have happened more frequently in the last few years.

Gordon & MacPhail actually released a 70-year-old single malt in 2022 to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. You can find it online for around $30,000 now, up from a suggested retail of about $25,000.

Most of us will never get to taste this rare release of course, but Gordon & MacPhail has shared tasting notes.

Gordon & MacPhail King Charles III Coronation Edition Tasting Notes

The nose of the whisky comprises fragrant, festive spices that complement aromas of mulled berries and a hint of raisin. Moreover, Gordan & MacPhail add: "Lemon zest comes to the fore alongside Demerara sugar and subtle beeswax polish.”

On the palate, red apple commingles with bitter orange and milk chocolate, and subtle smoke develops, accompanied by fresh peppermint leaves.

The full finish has notes of lingering grapefruit and mature oak, according to the distillery.

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That, of course, sounds delicious, but like the coronation itself, most of us will have to admire from afar.

Truth be told, photos of the gorgeous, understated packaging are probably as close any of us will get to experience this whisky, but if you do manage to get your hands on a bottle, you may want to resist the urge to open it. Imagine what it'll fetch the next time a coronation comes around.