Exclusive: Highclere Castle to Launch a Limited-Edition Gin Marking Centennial of Discovery of King Tut's Tomb

Highclere Castle Spirits Co. – yes, the Highclere Castle of Downtown Abbey fame – will launch a one-time edition of 2,000 cases of Highclere Castle Limited Edition Barrel Aged Gin.  The gin was created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamen of Egypt by the British archeologist Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings.  More on that later.  

What is the connection between that event 100 years ago and Highclere Castle, you wonder?  The current Lord Carnarvon, the proprietor of the estate,  is the great grandson of the fifth Earl of Carnarvon who sponsored and accompanied Carter for the discovery of the tomb.  Needless to say, Highclere Castle Spirits is making a big deal of the anniversary.  

Only 2,000 cases of   Highclere Castle Limited Edition Barrel Aged Gin were produced, and pre-sale orders will be available online at www.HighclereCastleGin.com for a limited time starting Oct. 3 at $99 a bottle.  Bottles will be available to purchase on Black Friday, and the limited edition, barrel-aged gin will not be produced again, Adam von Gootkin, co-founder and CEO of Highclere Castle Spirits told us in a Beverage Barons interview.

It's the second gin to be produced from the botanicals and oats grown on the 5,000-acre estate.  The packaging for the first product, which is now available in 40 U.S. states and 24 European countries, is beautiful.  The packaging for the limited edition barrel-aged gin is stunning – gold, with Egyptian characters, based on writings found in Tutankamen's tomb.

For more about the Highclere Castle Spirits business, and how von Gootkin linked up with Lord Carnarvon, what makes Highclere Castle Gin unique, what he's looking for in the handful of people he needs to high right now, what he has found to be the secret in the business and his biggest mistake, watch the video.  It runs about 30 minutes.  For more about the discovery of King Tut's tomb and its connection to Highclere, read on.

The discovery of the tomb created a sensation.  Carter arrived in Egypt in 1891.  By then, most of the tombs of the ancient kings had been found, but King Tutankhamen's was still unaccounted for.  Carter finally found the steps to the burial chamber near the entrance to the tomb of King Ramses VI which was nearby.  On Nov. 26, 1922, Carter and fellow archeologist Lord Carbarvon entered the interior chambers of the tomb, which were intact.  Highclere hosts an educational museum exhibit about the  discovery.  You can read more about the opening of the boy-king's tomb here.  

While the current Lord Carnarvon is very much a farmer-entrepreneur having instantly recognized the opportunity afforded by the BBC's "Downton Abbey" series, as well as the spirits business and an associated cigar business, the current Countess of Carnavon has released at least two New York Times best-selling books, Seasons at Highclere: Gardening, Growing and Cooking Through the Year at the Real Downton Abbey and At Home: Entertaining at the Real Downton Abbey.  On Dec. 6, her latest book, The Earl and the Pharaoh:  From the Real Downton Abbey to the Discovery of Tutankhamun will be released.