Royal Salute’s latest release arrives at the intersection of precision and spectacle. The 21-Year Old-Rio de Janeiro Polo Edition is named for Brazil’s polo capital, but its intentions lie more in structure than ornament. Blended with malt from the Braeval Distillery and aged in American oak, the whisky reflects a calculated attempt to capture geographic influence without abandoning technical standards.
The limited release is part of the brand’s Polo Collection, which connects each blend to a city linked to the sport. Rio de Janeiro, the focus of this edition, is approached not just as a location, but as a sensory directive. According to Royal Salute’s master blender Sandy Hyslop, the energy of the city shaped the whisky’s profile in specific, material ways.
“Rio de Janeiro was such a special source of inspiration with its stunning landscapes and a dynamic energy that reverberates around every corner,” Hyslop says, via Zoom. “The sheer vibrancy of this energy is undeniable and really has become the soul of the city, and so naturally became a big focus as I built the new blend.”
The packaging, rendered in green and yellow, takes obvious visual cues from Brazil. But Hyslop’s attention remains on the blend itself, which relies heavily on components from Braeval.
“They have distinctive notes that I was confident would allow us to give the final blend a new dimension and transport audiences to Rio by offering fresh floral and grassy notes, reminiscent of lush green Brazilian landscape,” he says. “We then balanced this with whiskies aged in American oak casks that bring sweet and creamy vanilla and coconut notes to ensure the resulting blend would be superbly smooth.”
That blend, developed over months, draws its complexity in part from the use of first-fill casks. While these barrels accelerate flavor transfer, they require careful balance—especially when working with older stock.
“When it comes to first-fill casks, they quite quickly impart a stronger, more distinctive flavor from the wood, which is really felt in the final taste profile,” Hyslop says. “Because of how active first-fill casks are in flavor delivery, it’s really crucial for us as the blending team to balance it with other distillates.”
Each expression in the Polo Collection is designed to function independently. But collectively, they chart Royal Salute’s efforts to pair technical craftsmanship with regional reference points. Previous editions have included blends inspired by Jodhpur and Miami.
“This has been my steadfast approach to each individual expression within the Polo Collection,” Hyslop says. “Each limited-edition whisky has shone a light on different locations that hold special significance in the world of polo and we’ve been meticulously careful to craft bespoke blends to honor that.”
Rio’s selection, according to Hyslop, stemmed not from its cultural associations but its relationship with the sport. British polo player Malcolm Borwick, a long-time collaborator with Royal Salute, provided insight into Brazil’s role in the global polo scene. That, in turn, helped shape the edition’s identity.
“His anecdotes about the thriving and passionate polo culture there struck me because Royal Salute also thrives on immense passion for craftsmanship,” Hyslop says. “This craftsmanship is evident in every single blend that we create, echoing the exhilarating blend of skill, honor and grace that can also be seen in the sport itself.”
The release of the Rio de Janeiro Polo Edition comes during a period of correction for the Scotch whisky industry. In 2024, total export value fell by 3.7% to £5.4 billion ($6.8 billion) even as volume rose by 3.9% to 1.4 billion bottles, according to the Scotch Whisky Association. The U.S., long the largest market, saw a 0.7% dip in value to £971 million ($1.2 billion), with volumes up modestly at 132 million bottles.
Royal Salute, however, reported a 5% increase in absolute net sales for the 2024 fiscal year for parent company Chivas Brothers, driven in part by its strategy of limited releases and cask-driven blending. Expressions like the Rio Polo Edition serve less as mass-market offerings and more as precise contributions to a selective segment still willing to invest in long-aged blends.
Still, technical concerns remain primary. Hyslop describes the blending process as a negotiation between innovation and tradition. The goal, he says, was to build complexity without disrupting continuity.
“I was acutely conscious that to really do justice to Rio de Janeiro as a location, we would need to craft a multi-dimensional and complex blend,” he says. “However, it’s also about building a dynamic blend that is still respectful of the Royal Salute house style; as the current custodian of that style, I want to really honor the legacy that Royal Salute has built in exceptional whisky.”
The edition, which is not intended for replication, offered the team the chance to depart from the constraints of consistency. That flexibility, Hyslop says, is rare and worth protecting: “It’s a fine balancing act learnt over many years.”