Luxurious whisky emblem The Balvenie has joined forces with acclaimed British jewelry clothier Ellie Mercer to craft an unique collector’s chess set. Mixing conventional tactics with recent artistry, this collaboration is a novel birthday celebration of workmanship, design, and the undying pursuit of significant connection.
As virtual fatigue drives other folks to hunt screen-free recreational actions, The Balvenie x Ellie Mercer Luxurious Chess Set invitations lovers to decelerate and rediscover the thrill of strategic play over a pitcher of top class whisky. Retailing at £1,650, the set will likely be to be had completely at Fortnum & Mason from 4th February 2025, packaged in a sumptuous reward field along The Balvenie Twenty-5—a coveted whisky from the Uncommon Marriages Assortment.

The Intersection of Craftsmanship and Design
The collaboration bureaucracy a part of The Makers Venture, The Balvenie’s ongoing initiative to focus on fashionable creativity and professional artisanship. Ellie Mercer, famend for her formidable and complex jewelry designs, has prolonged her experience into the area of luxurious homeware with this partnership. The result’s a placing chess set that merges her recent aesthetic with the precision and heritage synonymous with The Balvenie.
Mercer’s design philosophy attracts inspiration from The Balvenie distillery itself. The set options fabrics and motifs that echo the whisky-making procedure, equivalent to polished brass, cast oak harking back to cask heads, and deep amber resin impressed through the golden hues of the whisky.
The chess items, crafted from chocolate-marble and amber resin, evoke the wealthy tones and textures of The Balvenie’s signature drams, making a harmonious mix of serve as and artistry.
“Operating with The Balvenie has been an out of this world adventure,” stated Mercer. “Its willpower to craftsmanship is in point of fact admirable. The chess set embodies this ethos—it’s recent in design but rooted in craft, the use of oak to recognise the function of The Balvenie Coopers. I aimed to create one thing that no longer handiest excites visually however invitations other folks to decelerate and savour each the sport and the whisky.”

An Revel in Past the Board
The chess set is greater than only a collector’s merchandise; it’s a tactile and visible birthday celebration of workmanship. Each and every component of the design displays the meticulous procedure in the back of The Balvenie’s whisky-making. The board itself, crafted from cast oak, options brass inlays and marbled resin squares that embrace the fusion of custom and modernity.
This dedication to artistry extends to the accompanying bottle of The Balvenie Twenty-5. A part of the Uncommon Marriages Assortment, this whisky provides a fancy palette of almond, candied orange peel, and chamomile, balanced through the crispness of high quality oak. In combination, the chess set and whisky create an immersive enjoy designed to be savoured, shared, and celebrated.
Sean Fennelly, UK Emblem Ambassador for The Balvenie, emphasized the importance of the collaboration: “Craft is on the middle of the entirety we do at The Balvenie, and this collaboration completely embodies that ethos. Operating with Ellie Mercer has allowed us to take the spirit of innovation that drives our whisky-making and translate it into one thing immediately gorgeous and significant. The chess set is a illustration of custom and precision, but in addition creativity and endurance—all qualities that outline our procedure at The Balvenie.”
A Birthday celebration of Creativity Thru The Makers Venture
Now in its fourth yr, The Makers Venture continues to honour the ethos of workmanship through partnering with inventive visionaries who proportion The Balvenie’s hobby for high quality and precision. From whisky-making to jewelry design, this initiative champions the people and processes that carry conventional tactics into fashionable masterpieces.
Mercer’s inclusion on this undertaking highlights her skill to translate her experience in jewelry design right into a sculptural, useful piece of art. Recognized for her hand made creations that merge bold-coloured resin with treasured metals, she brings a recent point of view to the sector of luxurious interiors.

Availability and Unique Reviews
For creditors and lovers not able to protected one of the crucial limited-edition units, The Balvenie and Ellie Mercer have created an interactive enjoy at The Guards Bar and Front room in Raffles London at The OWO. Starting 4th February 2025, guests can discover the chess set whilst playing a dram of The Balvenie from the Uncommon Marriages Assortment, offering a chance to interact with the collaboration in a polished surroundings.
Priced at £1,650, the chess set and whisky package deal represents without equal luxurious reward for connoisseurs of good craftsmanship and top class whisky. This limited-edition unencumber underscores The Balvenie’s willpower to innovation and artistry whilst providing a undying birthday celebration of technique, design, and custom.