Dining

The Balvenie partners jeweller Ellie Mercer to launch limited edition luxury whisky chess set

The Balvenie x Ellie Mercer chess set

Your move, whisky pals. The Balvenie has partnered London-based artisan Ellie Mercer to create a limited-edition collector’s chess set, Mercer’s first step into luxury interiors and homeware.

Ellie Mercer, known for sculptural pieces that blend resin, solid gold, and silver, has reinterpreted the classic Staunton chess set, incorporating materials directly sourced from The Balvenie distillery.

The collaboration is part of The Makers Project, an initiative in its fourth year that highlights modern creativity through partnerships with craftspeople who share The Balvenie’s commitment to passion, skill, and patience. 

Ellie Mercer, known for sculptural jewellery pieces that blend resin, solid gold, and silver, has reinterpreted the classic Staunton chess set…

The contemporary, minimalist chess set is both collectable and functional.

Like The Balvenie cask heads, solid oak is crafted into a striking, square chessboard which combines polished brass details with deep, chocolate marbled resin, which contrasts with the amber resin chess pieces inspired by the honey tones of The Balvenie whisky. 

The Balvenie x Ellie Mercer Luxury Chess Set is packaged with a bottle of The Balvenie Twenty Five, and is available exclusively at Fortnum & Mason, priced £1,650.  Limited quantities are available, so make your move now.  

For those unable to get their hands on a set, visitors to The Balvenie x Ellie Mercer ‘Makers & Gamers’ Experience at The Guards Bar and Lounge Raffles London at The OWO will be able to play a game on the designer chessboard, accompanied by a dram from  The Balvenie Rare Marriages Collection.

Bruichladdich pushes the boundaries of peat with Octomore 17 Series whiskies

Bruichladdich Distillery has unveiled the latest chapter in its Octomore experiment, with three super-heavily peated single malts exploring Scottish barley, Islay provenance and a diverse selection of casks. The Octomore 17 Series, now in its 17th year, examines the relationship between barley origin, peat and maturation, with limited quantities created from specific harvests and cask…

Glendronach 14 Year Old Boynsmill House Edition is a sherry-matured whisky with a claret twist

The Glendronach is celebrating its 200th anniversary with a limited-edition, three cask single malt inspired by the Highland home where the distillery’s story began. The 14 Year Old Glendronach Boynsmill House Edition pays tribute to Boynsmill Estate, where James Allardice founded The Glendronach in 1826. The distillery sits in the Valley of the Brambles in…