LONDON — Harris Reed used a headpiece he made for Beyoncé as a starting point for his collaboration with whiskey label Royal Salute.
No detail was overlooked — down to the drink’s flagon. The designer played with the idea of jewel-toned feathered rays to create the custom bottle.
The release coincides with Reed’s London Fashion Week runway show — where guests will get to sip the 21-year-old Braeval whiskey, with malts matured in American oak.
For the British American designer, whose brand has become synonymous with fluidity, the opportunity to create his own blend of Scotch felt like a moment to celebrate all facets of his identity.
Reed working with the label’s master blender, Sandy Hyslop, at Royal Salute’s Scotland distillery.
Courtesy of Royal Salute
“I’ve always been a kind of fusion, whether it’s the fluid fusion of masculine and feminine, or whether it’s making a blend of a Scotch whisky,” he said in an interview.
During his private blending session with master blender Sandy Hyslop, Reed said he wanted to create a drink that he and his friends, who might’ve had one too many bad experiences with overwhelmingly smokey peated whiskeys, would enjoy.
His list of dream flavors were a series of confectionary delights: caramel, raspberry jam, pear crumble and chocolate fudge.
Reed even created gowns echoing the flagons’ colors — teal, gold and fuchsia — in celebration of the collaboration.
Courtesy of Harris Reed
“I kind of went crazy with my list, but weirdly enough, he was able to bring those hints of sweetness without being too overpowering. It’s quite balanced,” Reed said.
The collaboration is priced at $248 with rich fragrances of spiced raisins, jammy fruits and sweet vanilla.
The designer, who grew up surrounded by scents thanks to his perfumer and candle maker mother, saw another parallel when architecting his alcohol.
“I’m obsessed with fragrance,” he explained, teasing that “this was also a good starting point for potentially anything to come in the future.”
