To commemorate the Coronation of HM King Charles III, Mark Evans and The Last Drop Distillers have collaborated to create a pair of Coronation Portraits and a pair of bottles of a unique Blended Scotch Whisky authored by iconic Master Blender Colin Scott.
The first KCIII Portrait is a legacy gift to the nation, with the first KCIII “Blend of 75” Bottle to be presented privately. With 75 whiskies, “Blend of 75” celebrates HM King Charles III’s official 75th birthday on (Saturday, 15th June 2024), also known as Trooping the Colour.
The second KCIII Portrait & “Blend of 75” are to be auctioned or gallery sold for the benefit of Big Change, a cause that seeks transformative change in education outcomes globally.
Launched Wednesday, 12th June 2024, the portrait and bottle of whisky are displayed in Wiltons Restaurant, St James’s. The artwork will be displayed at Sladmore Gallery over the summer. The conservative combined market value of the portrait and bottle of whisky is estimated at $600,000 / £471,600*.
An additional limited edition of 10 drams, made during the bottling process, is being sold at $12,700* / £10,000 each for an opportunity to raise further funds for the charity, available to purchase at Wiltons.
Mark Evans, The KCIII PORTRAIT, 135cm x 120cm, hand etched on leather, portrait 2/2
With leather as his canvas and scalpel as his brush, Welsh artist Mark Evans creates powerful works that are both extraordinarily detailed and epic in scale. For this intricate, unique artwork, Evans modelled his portrait on the famous photograph by Nadav Kander that first appeared on the cover of Time Magazine and now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.
Taken at Birkhall, HRH’s private residence on the Balmoral estate in Scotland, Evans describes the image as “spellbinding”.
Meticulously working from photographs as source material, Evans undertakes a technical analysis of the image before carving, shaving and etching into 1/10th of a millimetre of the surface of the hide.
With a surgeon’s precision, the artist transforms a tonal photograph into a detailed map of contours that guide his carving. With no room for error, this unique process and precise technique cannot be hurried, resulting in stunning lifelike portrayals that go beyond mere representation but embody the beauty and value of patience and dedication.
Evans grew up in North Wales, where his love of the wild and the outdoors led him to carve images into slate or tree bark. The then Prince of Wales visited his village of Llysfaen in 1980 when Evans was five years old, and he took photographs of the Prince, which made the royal portrait exceptionally personal to him. He is accepting no payment or commission of any kind for these two portraits.
“I had a particular vision for a unique pair of portraits that would become something lasting, multigenerational and jaw-dropping. I wanted to hand carve portraits that would tell a story, convey a moment in time, and be quite simply beautiful.” – Mark Evans’ purpose for The KCIII Portraits.
THE KCIII “BLEND of 75”, bottle 2 of 2
“It was my great honour to be asked to create this unique blend to honour His Majesty King Charles. I had the opportunity to choose from The Last Drop’s inventory of maturing barrels to create a blend of over 75 different Scotch Whiskies from the four corners of Scotland. My aim was simple: to produce a unique whisky that represents Scotland, the magic of Scotch Whisky and our profound admiration for His Majesty.” – Colin J P Scott, Master Blender, The Last Drop Distillers.
Alongside whiskies from current malt distilleries, such as The Glenlivet and Laphroaig, are spirits from Scotland’s “Lost distilleries”, including Imperial, Glenlochy, Convalmore, Glen Albyn and the North of Scotland grain distillery. The 19 lost distilleries provide nuggets of flavour within every sip that cannot be described but provide a taste experience that is truly one-of-a-kind.
Two bottles were filled on 14th November 2023 and have been dressed with an embossed green leather label. Each bottle and accompanying 50ml miniature contains a blend of 75 different whiskies, including some more than 50 years old.
- APPEARANCE – The deep golden amber colour reflects the many years’ maturation of the spirit in quality casks, and heralds the richness and complexity of flavours to come.
- NOSE – Rich fruity aromas of figs, apricots and red apples combine with a honey sweetness, liquorice and warming spiciness.
- PALATE – Smooth, rich fruitcake and sultanas open into ripe black cherries, oranges and spiced apples, with the sweetness of toffee, dark chocolate and vanilla leading to a long, warming and lingering finish.
Big Change
The proceeds from this auction will support Big Change, a charity founded in 2012 by Princess Beatrice, Holly and Sam Branson, and three other friends. Big Change envisions a society where every young person is set up to thrive in life, not just in exams. It has backed over 60 projects that have positively impacted the lives of nearly 8 million young people, supporting early-stage leaders with ideas that have the potential to transform lives.
Conservative Market Value (CMV) Basis:
The KCIII “Blend of 75” – The closest bottle equivalent would be the 60 bottles of Johnnie Walker that were created to celebrate HM The Queen’s Jubilee, which sold for $100,000 USD each and are worth multiples of this whenever one very rarely sees one come on to the secondary market.
The KCIII Portrait – Mark considers this portrait to be the most fiendishly challenging, technically advancing, and his finest to date. Other portraits at this top level have sold for $500,000 USD in the past.
Combined CMV = $600,000 USD / £471,600 GBP*
This is without factoring in the uniqueness of the “Blend of 75”, the peak achievement status of The Coronation Portrait and the shared relational resonance of the pairing of the other Portrait & Blend with HM The King and the added marriage value of the Portrait & Blend combined.
*Subject to exchange rate.
Photography by Sam Churchill.