Throughout our lives there are birthdays which seem to have more meaning than others. The first big birthday arrives at 18, where in most of the world we become of drinking age. However, one would probably argue that our palates at that point in life are not very developed and we are at the stage of experimenting with what we like and dislike (though there are still loveable options for that milestone here!). Three years later is a different matter.
By our 21st birthdays we have probably worked out if we like whisky, and hopefully by that point haven’t had an experience which has put us off for some time. By the time whisky is 21 years old, many feel it is in a sweet spot. It has enough age to have great complexity, and yet not so old to still have verve and vigour. The oak hasn’t had the opportunity to overrun the spirit and the tannins are still supple and not yet dry. I have not yet found a bad 21 year old whisky. There are those that I like more than others, but that is all about personal preference. With such variation in flavour and with so many 21 year old whiskies on the market I think they make an ideal present for a 21st birthday.
Expensive enough to be very special, yet not so expensive to be completely out of reach for most of us. So in no order of preference, although I may point to some of my favourites along the way, I will offer up 16 of the best 21 year old whiskies to buy.
SCOTtish
Dewar’s 21
This 21 year old joins Dewar’s Double Double series which uses double methods of maturing and blending before finishing the whisky in oloroso sherry casks. It is a decadent whisky with dried pineapple, peach, honey and crunchy nut cornflakes. There are tropical fruits which come through the palate and gentle wood spice on the finish. Blended whisky is all about balance and this has great balance yet still character shines through with the dried fruits from the oloroso cask finishing. Just be aware that it might seem too inexpensive to be true, but it is 500ml not 700ml. Still worth every penny.
Size: UK 500ml // US 375ml
ABV: 46%
Find it Here: UK £127.95 // US $49.99
Royal Salute
This is the quintessential 21 year old blended whisky. There are no younger age statements from Royal Salute. It was created in 1953 to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It honours the 21 gun salute which accompanies royal celebrations. It is a sophisticated whisky, so well balanced with a mix of sweet ex bourbon cask maturation and soft spicy notes from ex sherry casks. It is a masterclass in blended whisky. The fruits are complex with both fresh and dried fruits present and flavours which let you recognise its age. Light furniture polish and dark chocolate with elegant floral notes and orange blossom in the background. This might represent the establishment, but this established whisky feels open to all.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find it Here: UK £136.99 // US $209.99
BenRiach 21
From one great value 21 year old whisky to another! The last of my selection from Speyside and it’s a cracker. This whisky is matured in a complex mix of casks. Ex bourbon, sherry casks, virgin oak casks and Bordeaux red wine casks which deliver huge amounts of fruit seamlessly delivered to the palate. Lots of dried fruit flavours with citrus peel, nuts, dark chocolate and a wisp of smoke in the background. The blending of all these casks has been executed perfectly by Rachel Barrie the master blender for BenRiach, Glenglassaugh and Glendronach, which I will come on to next. As for this, I’d be surprised if it stays at this price for very much longer.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 46%
Find it Here: £142.35
Tomatin 21
Moving further into the highlands now with Tomatin. This distillery produces whiskies which have lots of tropical fruits in the flavour profile and this expression is no exception. With fresh mango and papaya and dried passion fruit. Having been fully matured in 1st fill ex bourbon casks, the whisky is sweet with honey and vanilla fudge and fine oak to balance the sweetness. A whisky which is extremely easy to drink and if I were gifting a whisky to a first time whisky drinker, this would be the one, and I think they’d be bowled over by it. It is very hard to find in shops as it is distributed in the travel retail market, but there are a few websites which manage to find a few bottles.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 46%
Find it Here: £149.26
Aberfeldy 21
Some say that Aberfeldy is the real gateway to the highlands. Only a little over an hour from Stirling, the landscape changes dramatically from here on. The hills become higher as you pass with other great names just off the same road like Blair Athol and Edradour, in another 30 mins you are on the highest road in Scotland at the Drumochter pass, aptly named. Having passed Dalwhinnie distillery, the next stop is Speyside. The whisky from Aberfeldy is honied and this is no exception, yet there is a refinement and elegance in the 21 year old, with fine oak, soft spices and fresh and dried fruits. It’s a classic.
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find it Here: UK £156.99 // US $199.99
Glen Moray 21 Portwood Finish
Glen Moray is often seen as the best value for money, not just in Speyside, but is Scotland. And this expression is certainly showing this to be true. The quality of the whisky is incredible. Here, they have matured the whisky for most of its life in ex bourbon barrels, but for a few months before bottling they have finished the whisky in Port casks. This finishing gives darker fruit flavours of blueberry and a little strawberry tart among caramel, vanilla shortbread, dark chocolate, and some spicy ginger, this dies away to leave raisins and honey with a little milk chocolate. Complex and fruity, and incredible value for a 21 year old whisky.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 46.3%
Find it Here: £157.99
Jura 21 Time
There are two 21 year old Jura whiskies on the market at the moment, one of them is very coastal and has an ashy style of smoke in its flavour character, and if you like that you can find it easily in quite a few shops and it’s call Tide. Time on the other hand can mostly only be found in global travel retail, so look out for it when you are on holiday abroad. For me it is the far better of the two, but then I like a sweet fruity style of smoke in whisky, and this certainly fulfils that wish. With Turkish delight, oranges and tropical fruits with sweet smoke, it’s a pity it’s harder to find, but when you do it’ll that little bit more special. As it should be for a 21st birthday.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 47.2%
Find it Here: £159.99
Tobermory 21
Onto the islands we go with a trip to Mull, the home of Tobermory. This is a new expression in the Tobermory line up and they have a plan to keep only the 12 year old younger than this. It’s a great addition, having been finished in ex oloroso casks to create flavours of the foraged fruit found on Mull, it really does taste of red berries, nuts and a little salinity, as well as marzipan, toffee, raisins and ginger. It’s not so saline that it is competing with many of the other coastal whiskies for that big saltiness and iodine, this is a gentle dram, but non the less complex for it. If any of these drams were to accompany a summer party in the islands, then this would do the trick.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 46.3%
Find it Here: £164.99
Glenfarclas 21
From one of only two family owned and family run distilleries in Scotland, I have started with Glenfarclas for a good reason. - It is about to be discontinued. Fortunately, not forever, they are simply having to lay down stocks for the future to make the age statement more sustainable. Find this if you can at under £200 and it’s going to represent good value. I am pretty sure that in four years time when it arrives back on the market it won’t be under £200. This is an elegant whisky but with that typical sherry cask style Glenfarclas is well known for. Lots of Christmas cake flavours, but still refined. The tannins and rounded and soft, and the dried fruits still present with some juicier fresh fruit too. There are notes of chocolate and fine spice and leather. This is a whisky with lots of finesse and is one of my all-time favourites.
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 46%
Find it Here: UK £170 // US $219.99
The Singleton of Dufftown 21
Staying in Speyside and a distillery not known to many. The brand is one of the world’s biggest with different distilleries being used for it in different countries. The brand is The Singleton, and in the UK the 21 year old comes from the Dufftown distillery. Three different cask types are used, Oloroso, Pedro-Ximenez and ex bourbon casks are blended together and married in American oak giving a hugely rich dram with exceptional balance. Rich baked orchard fruits mix with fresh pears and creamy vanilla fudge, with a little soft spice in the background. There are delicate floral notes, white chocolate and white pepper keeping the whisky elegant and showing that although there are youthful elements in the whisky it isn’t in its youth any more. Perfect for a 21st birthday present.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 43%
Find it Here: £179.95
Glengoyne 21
Glengoyne is unique. It is classed as a highland distillery yet is in the lowlands as well. It sits right on the Highland Line, and although its stills are in the highlands, the warehousing on the site in in the lowlands, but it is the stills that matter when naming a whisky’s region, so highland it is. And highland it is in character as well. It is a very fruity whisky with plenty of white fruits, both orchard and stone fruit. Yet ex sherry casks are predominantly used in the maturation so there is a refined spiciness as well with tangy molasses and cranberries and cider vinegar. A complex and exciting dram.
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 43%
Find it Here: UK £195 // US £239.99
Aultmore 21
Aultmore is a whisky not seen in many shops, but it is certainly worth tracking down, now that we are all traveling again, the best place to find it is in travel retail. There is a balance in this whisky between herbal flavours and fruity flavours which are rarely experienced in other whiskies. The fruits are complex with melons, peaches and pears mingling together with a little tropical dried mango. These fruity flavours are bound together by rosemary flavours and a little note of olive oil. The finish is spicy, with fine oak and cracked black pepper which stays on the palate for a long time.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 46%
Find it Here: £199
Glendronach 21 Parliament
Glendronach 21 is so called because the collective name for rooks, is Parliament and there is a Parliament of rooks living in the trees by the distillery. Matured in sherry casks, both Oloroso and Predro Ximenez, this whisky is the epitome of a refined sherry matured whisky. It is released by vintage, so there will be tiny variations, but all on the same theme giving plenty of fruit cake flavours, along with lemon zest, dates, coffee, raisins, dark honey, coco nibs, and complex spices. The oak, fruit and spice all mix perfectly with a tiny touch of smoke in the background. If you haven’t tried a sherry matured whisky before, then this is a top notch dram to start with, and if you’re an experienced sherry cask whisky drinker, then you’ll certainly see the quality in Glendronach.
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 48%
Find it Here: UK £215 // US $349.99
Royal Brackla 21
Heading into the highlands, the Royal Brackla distillery is found near Inverness on the Cawdor estate of Macbeth fame and unfortunately doesn’t have a visitors centre, which is a great pity. Although it was re-built in the 1960’s like many distilleries, this distillery is beautiful to look at. With a lake in front of the distillery perfectly reflecting its white walls. The whisky is pretty spectacular too. Having been matured in Oloroso, Pedro Ximenez and Palo Cortado casks, this is an indulgent whisky with honey, lots of dried fruits inclusing apricots, raisins and dates. The spices are complex and so well balanced allowing the sweeter flavours to come through. truly worthy of a 21st birthday. Although it may spoil the recipient’s palate and make it harder to stomach the less finer things in life. Royal Brackla is only one of two distilleries which have Royal in the name, and it is definitely worthy of it.
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 46%
Find it Here: UK £231.99 // US $691.99
irish
Bushmills 21
I couldn’t write an article about 21 year old whiskies without traveling across the Irish sea. We start in Northern Ireland where there has been a resurgence in a very old brand. It was not long ago that Bushmills had a rebranding and the liquids blended with even greater precision than ever before. There are classic tropical fruits in this 21 year old, which are typical of older Irish whiskies, but also some soft spice from oloroso casks and then also red fruit complexity from finishing in Madeira casks. There are also flavours of toffee, dates, damp tobacco leaves and a hint of mint. An exquisite whiskey.
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find it Here: UK £194.99 // US $272.99
Redbreast 21
Finally, my GOAT. Yes, it is this brilliant Irish whisky which is my greatest 21 year old of all time. There will be times I am going to prefer any of the other whiskies from time to time over this one, but the majority of the time if I saw this line up, this is the bottle I would reach for. If my wife hasn’t hidden it. It is also her favourite 21 year old whisky. In fact, Redbreast is her favourite whisky overall, so I have to fight for it! This is a spicy pot still Irish whisky exclusively matured in first-fill Sherry and ex bourbon casks, it is a masterpiece of blending from Billy Leighton with typical tropical Irish whisky flavours with menthol, leather, chocolate and leather. Figs, and a touch of guava hang in the background, and then the finish has dark honey and fine oak.
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 46%
Find it Here: UK £230 // US $399.99
There we have it. Now you may say there are some notable absences from this list, and I agree there are some other great 21 year old whiskies from other distilleries and brands, but there are expressions from them at different age statements which I find even more notable, so you’ll likely see them in other listings from me. If I were turning twenty one again, any whiskies in the selection would make me feel special, and for such an important milestone in one’s life, it deserves an important dram.