Drambuie's Jacobite treasures on loan

Drambuie’s famous collection of Jacobite memorabilia is to go on long-term loan to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.

It will be the first time that the collection has been on permanent view in the UK.

The Jacobite collection, which has been assembled over the last 15 years, reflects the extraordinary artistic heritage of the Stuart kings and their supporters. It includes an unrivalled collection of over 100 engraved drinking glasses, including the rare Spottiswoode “Amen” Glass which has verses of the Jacobite anthem - the precursor of the current National Anthem – engraved around the cypher and crown of ‘ King James VIII’ of Scotland.

Additional items of note include a series of portraits and miniatures of the Stuarts by some of the leading French and Italian artists of the 18th century, as well as ceramics, sculpture, medals, prints, manuscripts and maps. The secret recipe for Drambuie was said to have been gifted by Bonnie Prince Charlie to the MacKinnons of Skye in 1746.

“We are delighted to share this historically important collection with Scotland’s National Galleries and thereby making it available for everyone to enjoy”, said Jonathan Brown, Drambuie’s Brand Heritage Director.

“Drambuie has always been proud of its historic roots and we hope that housing the collection at the Portrait Gallery will enable many people to discover the unique art and history of the Jacobite period”.

Director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, James Holloway said: “I am delighted that Drambuie's magnificent collection of Jacobite works of art and memorabilia have been placed on long term loan to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. The strengths of Drambuie's Jacobite collection complement perfectly the Portrait Gallery's impressive holdings and together the two collections will make unrivalled displays. Initially, there will be a rotating selection displayed but we plan to show it in its entirety once the Portrait Gallery has been fully refurbished.”

The collection’s curator emeritus, Robin Nicholson, now an associate director at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in the USA commented of the collection: “It is a collection of considerable aesthetic importance, as well as being historically significant. In putting it together we were fortunate to have access to some of the finest collections on the market for many generations. It would be almost impossible to assemble a collection of this quality again. It would also be hard to assess the monetary value of the collection, since in many ways the whole is much greater than the parts.”

The collection recently completed a seven-venue tour of US museums and was subsequently exhibited at the Fleming Collection gallery in London. It has been in storage since, but has now been transferred to the National Portrait Gallery. An additional 30 items have also been placed on long-term loan at the National Trust for Scotland’s new Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, which opens next May.

“Drambuie has long been a supporter of the work of both the National Trust and the Portrait Gallery and so it is apt that we should lend works from our unique collection to them,” said Jonathan Brown