Royal Salute unveils historic Tower of London residency and reimagined 62 Gun Salute Collection : Moodie Davitt Report

In a historic world-first, Pernod Ricard-owned Royal Salute has become the first brand to establish a residency within the Tower of London, marking the opening of its spectacular new brand home.

Located in the 13th-century Martin Tower, this extraordinary space is dedicated to celebrating Royal Salute’s connection to the British Monarchy.

The unveiling of the residency coincides with the release of the brand’s reimagined 62 Gun Salute Collection, a trio of prestige blends inspired by the power and spectacle of the ceremonial 62 Gun Salute.

The line is now being rolled out on a phased basis in select travel retail locations. It will be celebrated via a dynamic activation programme in 2025.

The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Director Hannah Tan was on location for the unveiling of the Royal Salute brand home and the 62 Gun Salute range, alongside key executives from Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail and retail partners from Tasa Meng and Everrich Duty Free in Taiwan.

Guests were able to take a private night tour of the Tower of London and view the Crown Jewels before entering the Martin Tower. Upon entering, they were welcomed into the ‘Royal Salute Kingdom’, where intricate illustrations, inspired by the 62 Gun Salute ceremony, adorn the walls.

The centrepiece of the space is a state-of-the-art digital tasting table, which took guests on a guided sensory journey through the 62 Gun Salute Collection.

Modern surface technology enabled a dynamic and immersive tasting experience, combining tradition with innovation.

A nod to history is found in the two antique cabinets that once safeguarded the Cullinan and Koh-i-Noor diamonds from the Crown Jewels.

The cabinets hold an elegant display of individual aroma essences – used to unlock the olfactory senses during whisky tastings. They also house the newly unveiled Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute Collection.

The Royal Salute residency features an exclusive tasting room housing one of the world’s most prestigious whisky libraries – the Royal Salute Treasures Collection. This curated selection showcases the brand’s rarest blends, crafted since Royal Salute’s inception in 1953.

Accessible by invitation only, the library offers VIP guests the opportunity to enjoy bespoke tastings, comparing expressions across Royal Salute’s extensive range. The Royal Salute Martin Tower experience is only available once a month to Royal Salute VIPs and is by invitation only.

Redesigned for a new reign: The 62 Gun Salute Collection

The Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute Collection marks a new chapter in the brand’s history with the British monarchy. It is crafted in tribute to the highest ceremonial honour in British royal tradition: a gun salute fired only during the most significant royal occasions, such as coronations or the ascension of a Sovereign.

Comprising three whiskies – The Original Reserve, The American Oak Reserve and The Peated Reserve – each blend evokes a distinct sensorial aspect of the ceremony.

The Original Reserve is the flagship of the collection and has been reimagined with a new decanter design, featuring sapphire blue cut glass and gold embellishments.

The American Oak Reserve represents the power of the Gun Salute and amplifies flavour through a higher proportion of American oak-aged whisky. The result is an explosion of tropical notes, including pineapple and mango, complemented by sweet butterscotch, vanilla custard and crystallised ginger.

The travel retail-exclusive The Peated Reserve offers an elegant interpretation of subtle, sweet smoke, reminiscent of drifting cannon smoke. Crafted with over 50 rare whiskies — including malts from the lost Caperdonich distillery — it delivers a complex and robust flavour profile.

Each decanter in the collection echoes the majesty of the Gun Salute ceremony. Elegant glass designs in sapphire blue, emerald green and ruby red reflect the hues of the Crown Jewels, while gold embellishments highlight the craftsmanship behind each bottle.

Opening the presentation boxes reveals intricate storytelling elements, bringing the history and splendour of the Gun Salute to life.

Describing the experience to The Moodie Davitt Report, Pernod Ricard GTR Vice President Global Marketing Liya Zhang said; “The breathtaking video played on the interactive display table said, ‘Welcome to the Kingdom of Royal Salute,’ which is appropriate because this really does feel like coming home. This is the ultimate experience we want to bring to life for travellers in a way where they can truly feel the essence of Royal Salute.”

“This is a money can’t buy experience, and that is what true luxury is,” Zhang added. “My wish is to be able to bring this type of experience to travellers, which is really the power of our channel.”

Pernod Ricard GTR Global Brand Director Prestige Andrew Bardsley told The Moodie Davitt Report: “It’s incredibly important to me to have been able to come here and experience this in person and share it with our partners.

“Understanding Royal Salute’s rich legacy and strong links to the British monarchy is what really brings the products and story of Royal Salute to life. Our goal now is to activate that at the point of purchase for our travel retail audience.

“We want to bring the elements of Britishness, that are linked so well with Royal Salute, to travellers in China, Singapore, Miami and wherever our travellers may be.”

According to Bardsley, an exciting activation roll-out is already planned for the 62 Gun Salute line in 2025.

He said: “There will be activations and media in key cities, particularly in Hong Kong, Seoul and Singapore, which are all important locations for our key customers. Royal Salute is having a resurgence in India and Dubai and we’ll be having activations there as well.

“This is a fantastic launch for us, representing the pinnacle of the Royal Salute range,” Bardsley added. “It’s such a special brand and we want to get this across to as many travellers as possible.”

Commenting on what sets the revamped 62 Gun Salute range apart in the prestige category, Bardsley said: “We’ve had 62 Gun Salute in our channel for some time. However, we’ve elevated the range with these three new releases with one being a channel exclusive.

“We’ve just had the pleasure of tasting this incredible travel exclusive, the Peated version of 62 Gun Salute, which offers a point of difference which we haven’t had before. Over the years, we’ve had the ability to deliver a consistent experience for Royal Salute fans.

“This exclusive peated release will set us apart even further, empowering whisky lovers to expand their Royal Salute experience so they can enjoy the signature blend all the way to this exclusive release.”

Pernod Ricard GTR CEO Laurent Pillet added: “This is an incredible experience that really connects meaningfully to the history and heritage of Royal Salute and its links to the British monarchy.

“We are so happy to have been able to share this with our esteemed guests and what better location to do that than in the Tower of London. It doesn’t get more British than this.” ✈