Royal Salute 21 Year Old Blended Scotch – Review

Royal Salute 21 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky

80 Proof

Price Point: $200 – $210 for 750 ML

Distiller: Chivas Brothers Ltd.

Background

Let’s face it, whiskey is expensive.  If you’re serious about it as a hobby, you’re going to drop some money on it.  I try to cap myself at around $70 a bottle, but even that is stretching it for me.

I know what you’re thinking – why did I spend $200 on a bottle of blended whisky?  Easy answer – I didn’t.  I found this bottle of Royal Salute 21 Year Old in my parents’ basement, hidden away and untouched for who knows how long.  I didn’t even immediately identify it as whisky, as it’s in a very strange, blue ceramic bottle.  I dusted it off and decided to give it a try, hoping it would be better than the similarly overpriced Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

Review

Royal Salute has a variety of interesting smells.  Caramel, coffee, and a touch of smoke.  Throw in some mixed berries for good measure.

The first thing I can think of when tasting Royal Salute is the very mature oak taste.  There’s also some leather in there and more coffee.  This is a very dark whisky.

The finish has a decent length for such a low proof.  This would be a good after-dinner whisky (perhaps a steak given the price point?).

Rating & Recommendations

Royal Salute 21 Year Old is decent but not worth the price in my opinion.  I give it a rating of 88 out of 100.

This is a very good whisky for a blend, and comes recommended from me.  But you can find single malts that are comparable at a much, much better price.

-Ryan