ROYAL DEESIDE, Scotland, Feb 7 — To mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne, a whisky distiller with no less a storied history, bottled a specially crafted blend of rare malt and grain Scotch whiskies which have been maturing since 1952, the year she acceded to the throne.

John Walker & Sons bottled the Diamond Jubilee yesterday which was the exact day 60 years ago when Elizabeth became queen.

At Royal Lochnagar Distillery, on the edge of the queen’s Balmoral Estate, David Gates, Grantee of John Walker & Sons’ Royal Warrant, saw to the filling of The Queen’s decanter which will be presented to the queen, as well as 60 further editions for sale around the world.

Gates said John Walker & Sons was first awarded a Royal Warrant in 1934 by King George V. “Today in 2012, we are privileged to be able to celebrate The Queen’s remarkable achievement with this fitting tribute, Diamond Jubilee by John Walker & Sons, the sales of which will help to create an enduring legacy for the supreme craftsmanship that it represents.”

Profits from the sale will be “donated to the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) with a guaranteed amount of at least £1 million (RM4.75 million) and will support the excellence of craftsmanship as symbolised by the Royal Warrant of Appointment.”

According to the Royal Warrant Holders Association, royal warrants are “a mark of recognition to individuals or companies who have supplied goods or services for at least five years to HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh or HRH The Price of Wales.”

There are apparently about 850 Royal Warrant Holders across a huge section of trades and industries. These include traditional craftsmen as well as multinational companies.

It is fitting that the money will go to support craftsmanship in the UK as John Walker & Sons “harnessed the skills of more than 60 fine artisans, including fellow Royal Warrant Holders and QEST Scholars to present and accompany the whisky.”

The diamond-shaped Baccarat crystal decanters for the Diamond Jubilee blend stand on a crystal base with six radial legs to reflect the decades of The Queen’s enduring reign, and are adorned with Britannia silver.

Leading Scottish silversmiths, Hamilton & Inches, fashioned the collars set with a half-carat diamond, the Royal Arms, John Walker & Sons monogram and individually numbered seals.

Each edition also includes a pair of lead Cumbria Crystal glasses engraved by Philip Lawson Johnston and a commemorative artefact book, hand bound by Laura West at her Isle of Skye bindery and personalised for each owner by Sally Mangum, Calligrapher By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen.

All the elements will be housed in a chest made by cabinet makers N.E.J. Stevenson, incorporating oak from Sandringham and Caledonian pine from Balmoral Estate.

The creation of Diamond Jubilee has “been a once-in-a-lifetime privilege for Master Blender Jim Beveridge and his apprentice Matthew Crow who have overseen the search, selection and expert blending of the whiskies.” The final step of marrying “was carried out in casks made by the John Walker & Sons coopers using oak provided by kind permission of The Queen from her private Sandringham Estate.”

Master Blender Jim Beveridge said, “An extraordinary amount of care and attention has gone into every stage of crafting this Scotch Whisky and there has been a great sense of excitement building towards today, when the full character and flavours of Diamond Jubilee by John Walker & Sons will be revealed for the first time.”

Chairman of QEST, Richard Watling, added that “the creation of this beautiful work, a monument to the skills of its craftspeople and the definitive tribute to 60 years of Her Majesty’s reign is of enormous significance to QEST. The donation will enable us to significantly increase the number of scholarships we award, helping to secure the preservation of vital craft skills for generations to come.”