Robert Ettinger writes: One of the great pleasures of being in this business is the opportunity to meet so many fascinating people all 
over the world. Sometimes, these people visit us here in our showroom on Putney Bridge Road. One of these occasions occurred in early May, when Jonathan Driver of John Walker & Sons stopped by with a special treat.
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s accession to the throne, John Walker & Sons created Diamond Jubilee, a blend of rare Scotch whiskies distilled in 1952. John Walker, which was first awarded a Royal Warrant in 1934, enlisted the expertise and skills of more than 60 artisans, including several other Royal Warrant holders, to provide specially made pieces to present and accompany the whisky. I am pleased and honoured that Ettinger was chosen to design and create the leather sleeve to contain the components of a commemorative artefact book. The book, along with the other bespoke elements — a pair of crystal glasses, the crystal and silver base and collar, and the crystal decanter containing the whisky itself — are all housed within a chest made of oak from Sandringham and Caledonian pine from The Queen’s Balmoral Estate.
Sixty editions of the whisky have been made for sale around the world, and the profits are to be donated to the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST). All of us here at Ettinger are proud to be associated with this project and couldn’t be more pleased that it benefits such a worthy cause.
Jim Beveridge, master blender at John Walker & Sons, has described the taste as very vibrant, with a fresh fruity flavour and a smoky finish. Although I haven’t had a chance to sample the Diamond Jubilee whisky myself, I’d like to think that it has a taste of golden honey with a subtle undertone of flowering heather, all of it infused with a hint of peat. I can easily imagine hoisting a dram, toasting the Queen with my family and a few close friends after finishing a sherry trifle at the end of a long and lazy al fresco dinner.
I’d love to hear how you’d like to enjoy tasting this once-in-a-lifetime whisky; please add a comment below and let me know your thoughts.
You can read more about Diamond Jubilee by John Walker & Sons here: Diamond Jubilee Whisky.
You can find more information about the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust here: QEST
Thoughts on Life and Leather 