Sin City is once more on the map as a culinary Mecca, but this time it's about liquor. Las Vegas' Prime Steakhouse at Bellagio has available the most expensive blended scotch in the world: Chivas Royal Salute 50-Year-Old.
This extremely rare and limited release coincides with the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. The relationship between Chivas and the British royal family dates back to 1843 when James Chivas was appointed Purveyor of Grocery to Queen Victoria, and continued into this century with the creation of Royal Salute as a tribute to Elizabeth.
In 1836, James Chivas went to work for a respected grocer and spirits merchant in Aberdeen, Scotland.
James' brother, John, later joined the firm and the two began the art of blending different scotches together from their own stock. In the 1890s, the brothers created a superb blend they named Chivas Regal. Business flourished and the Chivas brothers were able to buy their own distillery, called Strathisla. Nestled in the heart of eastern Scotland, the Speyside, which takes its name from the Spey River that runs through it, is home to the highest concentration of distilleries in the world. There are more than 30 in an area not much bigger than the Las Vegas Valley.
Strathisla is the oldest working distillery in the highlands, home to not only Chivas Regal, but also a fine and highly sought-after single malt scotch that carries the distillery's name.
In Scotland, there are two methods of distilling whisky. The more ancient of the two is distilling only 100 percent malted barley that has been smoked over a peat fire. The second consists of distilling a mix of different grains in a more cost-efficient column distillation, yielding a lighter whisky without the peat influence, similar in taste to Seagram's V.O.
Both must be aged in used oak barrels for at least three years before legally becoming scotch. When single-malt and scotch-grain whiskies are blended together, the result is scotch blended whisky. On average, Chivas Regal is made up of more than 40 scotch malts and grain whiskies.
Royal Salute 50-Year-Old is a blend of robust and powerful whiskies, each matured in oak casks for at least 50 years, resulting in a deep and sumptuous whisky of unrivalled excellence. Its nose is comprised of rich, sweet, fruity aromas balanced with a deep floral oakiness and soft, smoky nuttiness. It has full, sweet, floral and fruity raisin flavors, enhanced with a smoky sweetness and nutty oakiness.
For 50 years, Royal Salute 21-Year-Old had been bottled in a custom-designed, porcelain flagon from Wade of England.
With the 50-Year-Old, Chivas selected a new porcelain flagon from Wade of England and adorned it with a handcrafted plaque, in lieu of the traditional paper label, made from silver and gold.
The result is a deep-blue porcelain flagon, adorned with a hand-chased and engraved plaque of silver and 24-carat gold. Each one is sealed with a gold and silver stopper, and is numbered and hallmarked by the London Assay Office.
There are only 255 bottles available worldwide, and 10 have been available in the U.S since the fall. Prime's owns the only bottle available on premises, at the modest price of $ 1,200 a shot. If you're looking to get a Valentine's gift, don't worry. Royal Salute 50-Year-Old costs only $12,000 a bottle.
Francesco Lafranconi, a master mixologist, is a beverage specialist for Southern Wine and Spirits and the director of the Academy of Spirits & Fine Service.