Royal Salute switches from porcelain to glass bottles

Scotch whisky brand Royal Salute is setting aside its signature porcelain flagons in favour of more sustainable glass bottles.

The blended whisky brand's porcelain flagon - which has been used since its inception in 1953 - is being exchanged for a recyclable glass vessel. Designed to closely replicate the porcelain flagons they replace, the glass bottles will result in a 70 per cent reduction in the carbon footprint of the brand's primary packaging.

Royal Salute's biggest-selling whisky, the 21 Year Old Signature Blend, will be the first to adopt the new glass bottle, from June 2022, before it is rolled out across the rest of the core range.

The brand, part of the Chivas Borthers portfolio, said the move was in line with parent company Pernod Ricard's sustainability roadmap, "Good Times from a Good Place". According to this strategy, all Royal Salute packaging - along with that of other Chivas Brothers brands - will be 100 per cent recyclable, reuseable or compostable by 2025.

Jean-Etienne Gourgues, chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers, said: "Sustainability isn't a 'nice to have', it's a high priority, and I'm proud to see Royal Salute's iconic bottle transition from ceramic to glass - this represents a key milestone in Chivas Brothers' journey towards 100 per cent recyclable packaging."

Mathieu Deslandes, Royal Salute global marketing director, said: "It is incredibly important to us that we play our part in taking care of the world around us, by reducing the environmental impact of our whiskies, saving precious natural resources and helping mitigate climate change. 

"Looking to the future is at the very heart of Royal Salute; our whisky that is laid down in casks today will be aged for a minimum of 21 years, so we need to act today to meet Royal Salute lovers' expectations in the future."

Since 1982, Royal Salute's ceramic bottles have been produced by British company Wade Ceramics, which has worked on a number of commemorative luxury bottlings as well as core designs.

28 June 2022 - Bethany Whymark